UCDP

General information

Part of Conflict: Peru: Government

Date of first stated goals of incompatibility: 1980-03-27
Comment on date of first stated goal of incompatibility: Sendero Luminoso was formed in the late 1960s by university professor Abimael Guzman and the stated goal was to destroy existing Peruvian institutions and replace them with peasant revolutionary regime. It held as examples former indigenous rebel leaders, particularly Juan Santos Atahualpa and Tupac Amaru. The group, initially conceived as a political party, went underground in 1978. Between 17 and 27 March 1980 the Central Committee of the party held meetings on an action plan for the Beginning of the Armed Struggle (BAS). On the final day of the meetings, red flags were drawn in notebooks and covered the walls. The universal exhortation above the flags proclaimed: "Let us begin to tear down the walls and unfurl the first light of dawn." The organization came to public attention in May 1980 when the armed struggle initiated.

Date of first use of armed force: 1980-05-17
Comment on date of first use of armed force: Sendero Luminoso initiated its armed struggle against the Peruvian Government in the Andean village Chuschi in the province of Cangallo, Ayacucho on 17 May 1980.
First Battle Related Death: 1981-08-15
Comment on First Battle Related Death: The first deaths in connection to the conflict occurred in Ayacucho on 24 December 1980 when Shining Path rebels killed a ranch owner, Benigno Medina, and two of his employees at the San Agustín de Ayzarca ranch. During the second half of 1980 several dynamite attacks had been carried out by Sendero Luminoso to announce "the peoples war". However, the first battle related death reported took place on 15 August in Ayacucho when three Sendero Luminoso rebels entered a police station, took it in their control and killed a police officer named Flores Sullca.

Date when dyad reached 25 battle releated deaths: 1982-08-22
Comment on date when dyad reached 25 battle related deaths: Between 1980 and 1982 the activities of Sendero Luminoso passed through three stages: 1) Acts of violence to draw the attention to the group, 2) attacks on business premises and banks with the objective of obtaining funds and 3) actions against police posts in remote areas with the aim of seizing weapons. A fourth stage was to lead to the eventual seizure of power. The first two stages of the conflict did not seem to result in many causalities; however, the intensity increased at the third stage. On 22 August 1982, 200 guerrillas attacked a civil guard post in Ayacucho province with machine-guns and dynamite. 20 guerrillas and 5 policemen were killed in a four-hour battle. It is possible, however, that the conflict reached 25 battle related deaths before that date.

Conflict issues

Conflict Goal Issues: Sendero Luminoso (/#/actor/750), also known as Partido Comunista del Perú - Sendero Luminoso (PCP-SL) was a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist rebel group in Peru(/#/country/135) that fought the Peruvian government(/#/actor/021) in an armed conflict(/#/conflict/292) from 1981 to 2000. One of its distinct characteristics was its Gonzalo Thought alignment, highlighting Maoist and Nationalist positionings. The dyad here presented (Government-Sendero Luminoso)(/#/dyad/631) was mainly analyzed from 1989 to 1999 and from 2007 to 2010, when the group was the most active, but it is worth noting that the rebel group was created years earlier and continued existing after what is approached here, especially because it divided itself in 1994 but continued being relevant in the Peruvian scene. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s emerged many opposition forces as a reflex of the discontent with the governing powers in Peru.

The PCP-SL was created on 1969 by Abimael Guzmán (known as Presidente Gonzalo) and since the beginning, as a political group, it stated its desires of changing the political system to a Socialist one. On 1982, when the 25 battle-deaths threshold was reached, an intrastate conflict with the government began, perduring throughout 1980s and 1990s. At that same year the rebel group stated that a New State should rise and that only in this way there would be the dictatorship of the proletariat. During the year of 1895 the group tried to intervene on national elections being a clear obstacle to the government. As from the point the coding starts (1989), it is possible to see how the group maintained its cohesion throughout the 1980s – one of the first coded conflict goal issues reveals the group’s desire to proceed with the plan of a people's war “so that it shows the full validity of the power of Maoism and conquers power in the whole country”, aligned with the Gonzalo thought since its foundation. Much of these stated issues regarded changes on economic system, participation, land reforms and the maintaining of one of the first requirements of the group: deposing the executive power to implement a “New State”. It is worth noting that on this year the MRTA(/#/actor/751) became active in the conflict with the government.

On the following year, 1990, a major political change occurred with the election of the new head of the government, Alberto Fujimori, who responded to PCP-SL with ra even bigger repressive force. Conflicts continued throughout that year and following, especially regarding the issues of Electoral fraud and Opposition to elections, while still pointing to corruption, the need for economic reforms and the restructuration of military forces, always maintaining the requests for the destitution of the full executive power. The then leader of PCP-SL, Abimael Guzmán, was captured in 1992 and incarcerated, destabilizing the group. On the next years the group divided itself in other factions, mainly because of procedural strategy differences, but still maintaining the core objectives of Sendero Luminoso. A hardline faction led by Oscar Ramírez Durand (known as Feliciano) continued with the armed struggle in guerrilla style. On 1999 Oscar Ramírez Durand was captured by Peruvian authorities. Throughout those years, since Guzmán’s capture, the violent activity of the group diminished sharply, being 1999 the last year with relevant data regarding the group. The rebel group still maintained its goals with the conflict, point out many times to corruption, electoral fraud and opposition to elections. As the group lost ground in regards to the violent battle against the government, it changed a little its approach, requesting civil and labor rights, freedom of expression and the rule of law.

From 2004 to 2006 the split groups started organizing themselves to join forces and return to the armed struggle. On 2007 the conflict escalated to a point of relevance, mainly around the area of La Mar Province, Ayacucho, where they benefited from the economic activity of growing coca for cocaine production. On December of 2011 the then leader of Sendero Luminoso, Comrade Artemio, announced that the military struggle was over and that they wanted to continue the group struggles, but by political means, aiming to negotiate an enduring peace with the government.

Among the many stated conflict goals that can be perceived since the creation of the rebel group in 1981, and specially with the escalation of activities throughout the coded period of 1989 to 1995, the main issues regarded state structures – more specifically a change of political system, mainly refered as to a Socialist State. From 1995 to 1999 the main issues regarded political rights, mainly refered to civil rights, participation and other rights. At the ressurgence from 2007 to 2011 there where no main issues stated as conflict goals issues, as it kept the basically the same demands from previous years.

Conflict Dynamics Issues: In regards to conflict dynamic issues, the data that was collected and concentrated from 1989 to 1995 marked fluctuation of violence, mainly because of the election of 1990 and the arrest of Abimael Guzmán in 1992. The reclamations by the rebel group focused in the accusation of genocide by the part of the government, disrespecting of human rights and high levels of violence. The period after the election of Alberto Fujimori was key to these dynamics issues, as his government focused a lot in the fight against Sendero Luminoso. This was still relevant until the point of the capture of Oscar Ramírez Durand on 1999. Regarding the resurgence from 2007 to 2011, conflict dynamics issues changed, as the group restructured itself to the armed struggle, but was still active in the political and social scene throughout the beginning of the XXI century.

Among the many stated conflict dynamics issues, specifically before 1995, it is necessary to highlight atrocities and abuses by the part of the government – more specifically, collective targeting for political reasons. There are some instances of requests regarding the removal of foreign influence and attention to military conduct, but all surrounding the abuses of power by the government against the rebel group. From 1995 to 1999 the requests for attention regarding collective targeting for political reasons by the part of the government continued, as the requests regarding the removal of foreign influence increased. From 2007 to 2011, it can be highlighted the requests for increase of foreign influence in regards to support and accountability, and the release of prisoners.

Conflict Resolution Issues: In regards to conflict resolution issue, the data that was collected is concentrated from the year of 1991 to 2006, after Fujimori’s election. The main conflict resolution issue that was coded in the first moment regards transnational justice and liability, more specifically the issue of accountability and prosecution. The rebel group questioned many of the positions and actions taken by Fujimori’s government. In one of the collected statements, the rebels question “what criteria is Fujimori developing? In the first place, he has covered up the genocide committed around the 1990 general elections, promoting impunity, and has not denounced the perpetrators or expressed his condemnation or demanded their punishment”. After the capture of Guzmán, a conflict resolution issue that was constantly relevant was the call for negotiations.
Type of conflict issues: *Conflict Goal Issues: * Basic needs, Change economic system, Civil rights, Corruption, CPS: Socialist state, Economic reforms, Electoral fraud, Freedom of expression, Gender rights, Human rights, Labor rights, Land reforms, Opposition to elections, Oust full executive, Religious rights, Restructure military forces, Rule of law

*Conflict Dynamics Issues: * Atrocities and abuses, Collective targeting: ethnic, Collective targeting: political, DFI: Removal of foreign influence, IFI: Political support, IFI: Use of foreign influence, Military conduct, Release of prisoners

*Conflict Resolution Issues: * Accountability/prosecution/investigation, Amnesties, Call for negotiations, Call for truth and reconciliation processes

Annual information

This section contains annual information systematically collected by the UCDP.