Peru To Combat Shining Path Through Development Program
Peru's government announced a new
four-year strategy that will attempt to pacify the lawless VRAE
stronghold of the Shining Path's last remaining faction. Unlike previous
efforts, emphasis will be on development over militarization, a crucial
change that could see the government make gains.
On June 27, Peru launched Plan VRAEM, a new government initiative
that seeks to combat drug trafficking and bring a stronger government
presence to the Apurimac and Ene River Valley (VRAE), a key stronghold
for the Shining Path guerrilla group, and the Mantara valley which lies
to the region's north, reported Andina.
Prime Minister Oscar Valdes stated that unlike previous government
attempts to pacify the region that focused solely on combating Shining
Path rebels, the new strategy will focus on development in the region.
The plan will have four key aims: bringing state presence back to rural
villages, lifting people out of poverty through the building of schools,
roads and hospitals, removing the Shining Path, and clamping down on
organized crime and drug trafficking. Emphasis will be on the first two
points, Valdes affirmed.
The VRAE-based faction of the Shining Path is led by Victor Quispe Palomino, alias "Comrade Jose," and are thought to number around 500 fighters. After the arrest of the leader of the Huallaga faction earlier this year, dismantling Comrade Jose's group is considered the final obstacle before the government may declare the rebels defeated.
Valdes added that government officials will visit the area at the end of each month to ensure that the development programs are progressing.
InSight Crime Analysis
The emphasis on developmental initiatives over a militarized strategy
is a significant step by the government to bring order back to the
lawless VRAE region where an estimated 80 percent live in poverty. President Ollanta Humala has previously attempted to bring the area back under government control by installing a state of emergency in the region last year in an effort to combat the Shining Path but this strategy has seen few, if any, gains.
Comrade Jose's faction has embarrassed the government on a number of occassions this year, particularly in April
when the rebels kidnapped a group of 36 gas workers. Though they were
later freed, evidence emerged of a botched military operation in which
the Shining Path ambushed security patrols with ease and even managed to
kill a helicopter pilot. The fiasco eventually led to the resignation of both the Ministers of Defense and the Interior.
More worrying for the government is that the guerrillas appear focused on achieving popular support from locals, organizing speeches in villages to espouse leftist political rhetoric and justify their actions in the region.
Mayors from the VRAE
have previously demanded the government alter its strategy, requesting
the president to focus on bringing basic infrastructure back to the
region. It appears Humala is now heeding their call.
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