The Peruvian Civil War and the Shining Path

Abbey Corbin

The Shining Path• Initiated the internal conflict in

Peru

• Maoist insurgent guerrilla

organization

• Goal was to arrive at pure communism

• goal of replacing what it saw as bourgeois democracy with

"New Democracy". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shining_Path

Shining Path• Peruvian gov. referred to

Shining Path as terrorists• Widely judged for its brutality,

including violence against peasants, popularly elected officials, trade union organizers,

and civilian population

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=shining+path&hl=en&safe=active&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=ai9ZFCKsz97fSM:&imgrefurl=http://www.examiner.com/south-america-policy-in-national/slide-show-six-killed-shootout-between-peruvian-soldiers-and-shining-path

Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA)

• Marxist revolutionary group

• Other main cause for internal conflicts in Peru, and group considered terrorist by gov.

• goals were to establish a socialist state and rid the country of anything imperialist

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%BApac_Amaru_Revolutionary_Movement

Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA)

• At peak, group had 700 hundred members

• Gathered old members from Peruvian armed forces

• Violent rivalry with the SP

• Peruvian gov. stopped group from carrying out terrorists act

http://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1024&bih=600&q=T%C3%BApac+Amaru+Revolutionary+Movement&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&oq=T%C3%BApac+Amaru+Revolutionary+Movement&aq=f&aqi=&aql=1&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=1276l1276l0l2055l1l1l0l0l0l0l156l156l0.1l1l0&safe=active

Key Players• Victor Polay Campos (Leader

of MRTA)• Nestor Cerpa Cartolini

(Leader of MRTA)• Abimael Guzman (Founder

of SP)• Óscar Ramírez (Leader of

SP)• Abimael Guzmán (Leader of

SP) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abimael_Guzm%C3%A1n

Conflicts• Both groups were launching attacks

against Peruvian police and armed forces

• Fernando Belaúnde Terry declared a State of Emergency in 1981

• Peruvian Armed Forces were orderded to fight the Shining Path

• Constitutional rights were suspended for 60 days in Huamanga Province, Huanta Province, Cangallo Province, La Mar Province and Víctor Fajardo Province.

• Lots of constitutional rights were suspended,Peru’s military committed many human rights violations

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=shining+path&um=1&hl=en&safe=active&tbm=isch&tbnid=rJz7aBMkbw0q3M:&imgrefurl=http://archive.livinginperu.com/news/12253&docid=UyKVsT7gENrpqM&w=280&h=220&ei=B2F7TsTNBIa2t9,

Conflicts• Both sides, SP and Peruvian

police, decided to amp up violence as fighting tactics

• Some regions made anti-shining path groups called rondas

• Rondas were small groups armed with the donations from the armed forces

• The rondas managed to kill multiple commanders of the SP

http://i.imgur.com/9c6id.jpg%5B/IMG%5D

Statistics

• Shining Path contained around 2000 members

• Nearly 70,000 people died due to the fighting throughout the country

• Rondas killed roughly 75 member of the SP

Locations• Central Peru

• SP’s boundaries expanded throughout the years

• Good majority of fighting located in Lima

US Envolvement • US provided money to

government to help fight against SP

• Peru defaulted on some loans, but aid kept being sent

• February 1990, the US plus several Andean countries, including Peru, signed the Cartagena Agreement (PDF), This was made to help expand economic and military assistance

• In 1991, reports advised US stopped sending Peru aid until they changed human rights standards

Video

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCjHBsdZZN0