Sendero Luminoso

communist organization labeled as a terrorist group in Peru

Sendero Luminoso, (English: Shining Path, official complete name: Partido Comunista del Perú-Sendero Luminoso, PCP-SL), is a Peruvian Maoist group which is based on communist ideology. Their leader, Abimael Guzmán, and several important members of the group were captured on September 12, 1992.[1] Since then, the group has not been as powerful.

Communist Party of Peru
Partido Comunista del Perú
AbbreviationPCP-SL
FounderAbimael Guzmán
Founded1969
Party flag

Sendero Luminoso in Peru

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Sendero Luminoso in 1980-2000s

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A Sendero Luminoso poster.

In a try to take over the country into a new political model, Sendero Luminoso started making terrorist attacks, mainly in Ayacucho and Puno cities, in the night. The group used terrorist things for kill people such as bombs in cars, fire on houses and more. There was (ish) more than 60,000 killed and vanished people by Sendero Luminoso.[2]

Sendero Luminoso in 2000+s

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Before the Abimael Guzmán's capture in 1992, Sendero Luminoso stopped working, but is still in the VRAEM (spanish: Valle de los ríos Apurímac, Ere y Mantaro), also known as the drug's valley, by their big number of drugs there.

Attacks/(attributed to) attacks

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  • The october 10th, 2008 there was an attack by Sendero Luminoso making 19 people die, 12 of these militars, 1 vanished and 11 with lesions. The attack was on the Tayacaja province.[3]
  • 1 month later, (November 26th) there was another attack in the Huallaga valley (at the north of Peru), wherein 4 policeman's die and 4 people more.[4]
  • April 9th: 13 militars die in a Peru's selvatic zone. From the 13, 1 was a leader and 12 soldiers. 2 soldiers were vanished and 3 soldiers had lesions. It was on the Sanabamba province. The group attacked with dynamite.[5]
  • June 5th: 3 soldiers die due to Sendero Luminoso, while on patrol to guard the electoral process in a village called Choquetira, in the neighboring southeastern region of Cusco, also leaving 6 wounded.[6]
  • April 9th: In a Cuzco province, one of the most-attacked cities by Sendero Luminoso, the group kidnaps more than 36 workers of the gas-enterprise Camisea. The kidnappers were of 14─15 years old. According to the police, the teenagers were previously captured and indoctrinated by terrorists.[7]

12 days later, the Peruvian government starts an operation to save the workers, called Freedom Operation with 24 special forces people. Sendero Luminoso attacks the helicopter drived by the special forces people. The co-pilot dies by the attack.[8]

2 days then, the 36 workers were liberated. The workers go back to Kiteni province, and they get help from the local police. Then 2 police leaders die and 10 militars were injured.

1 day more, the on that day president Ollanta Humala meet the workers for ask they information about the kidnappers. Three days later, the head Martín Quispe Palomino tell to periodists that he was the author of the kidnap, then marked as false with the apparition of Luis Astuquillca the day n° 29.

  • April 9th: One day before the presidential elections there, kills the least 2 militars and 10 soldiers, leaving very injured people. The attack was near the VRAEM.

2017─2018 attacks

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  • March 26th: The Curiñaupa family were tortured, leaving 4 members die.[13]
  • March: 16 people including mens, womens, and kids were killed in Ayacucho near VRAEM. In the place, PCP posters were found.

References

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  1. BBC News (9 November 2003). "BBC NEWS | Americas | Peru captures Shining Path rebel".
  2. ¿Cuántos peruanos murieron... (.pdf) (in Spanish).
  3. «Al menos 19 muertos en una emboscada a un convoy militar en Perú», El País (10 de octubre de 2008) (in Spanish).
  4. «Cuatro policías mueren en emboscada de Sendero Luminoso» eluniverso.com. (in Spanish).
  5. Cuatro policías mueren en emboscada de Sendero Luminoso eluniverso.com (in Spanish)
  6. (2011 june 5th) «Tres solados muertos en emboscada de Sendero Luminoso en Perú»(in Spanish) Archived 2017-10-01 at the Wayback Machine centinela66.com
  7. Perú21.pe (11 April 2021). "Critican la reacción del Gobierno frente al secuestro en el VRAE" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2012-12-19. Retrieved 4 December 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. El Mundo.es (13 April 2012). "Muere una militar en el ataque de Sendero Luminoso a un helicóptero". Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  9. RPP Noticias (18 March 2017). "Tres policías muertos dejó emboscada de presuntos terroristas en el Vraem" (in Spanish).
  10. America Noticias (May 31, 2017) Dos policías muertos en emboscada de presuntos narcoterroristas en Ayacucho Archived 2021-06-28 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
  11. America Noticias (November 6, 2017)VRAEM: al menos tres policías muertos dejó ataque narcoterrorista Archived 2021-06-28 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
  12. "Terroristas asesinan a cuatro policías en Huancavelica". El Comercio (in Spanish). June 8, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  13. La República (March 29, 2021). "Los Quispe Palomino ordenaron matar a toda una familia en el Vraem" (in Spanish). Retrieved May 14, 2021.