I VN S J- tr CJ_ a CONFIDENTIAL 1 ef e t t'l t '- c_ RELEASED IN FULL O · PERU'S SENOERO LUM i NOSO WAR IN THE CORNER OF TBE DEAD · ·-· ·BU8£ffU Of - rt 1niia8 _ - OOD REStffD - ­ i ' ii_ • 1 _ -- - · HSSESSlllffil6 11 080 i' § ·_ · RESBIRCH Introduction and summary U Peru returned to democracy in May 1980 • Later that same yearT dead dogs hanging from · · lampposts in Lima announced the surfacing of an · obscure subversive group Sendero Luminoso Shining Path Lima residents did not fathom the message of the dead dogs and soon forgot them A short time later banging dogs appeared again this time in the remote Andean department of Ayacucho 250 miles $OUtbeast of Lima The Quechua-speaking peasants of Ayacucho whose name in the local tongue means •corner of the Dead • understood the symbolic message of impending death C Armed struggley slow in starting in the intervening years has claim€d an estimated 3 0004 000 lives and has-evolved into a campaign of random urban attacks and cruel rural massacres The Belaunde administration fearing the possible human rights con- · sequences of military control of the counterterrorist campaign initially gave responsibility t_o the police When the police proved inadequate to the task and the attacks bad spread to Lima and other cities the government sent the armed forces into Ayac cho in Decembe 1982 In July 1984 the military took charge of the antiterrorist carn aign nationwide -- t C The military unable to extinguish sendero tuminoso now complains of unnece sary constitutional restrictions on its operations Reports are emerging of widespread brutality by the security forces and allegations of an •Argentinization• of Peruts antiterrorist campaign have been made The military recently replaced the commander of tbe Ayacuchc emergency zone when he said publicly_ that the solution to the problem hinged on the social and economic development of Peru's poor regions rather than on a purely military approach CONFIDENTIAL Declassify OADR DeWitt J TEDSTATESDEPARTMENTOFSTATE VIEWAUTHORITY ALANHFLANIGAN eoort 941- R TE CASE ID 5 iif ·iv ¥ tr - - - - -·--- 09 SEP 2008 2iTN°CLASSIFIEifct ober ---'--- 31 198 't i f _j l L· % ' -c • c •·· ill flfftY · ·J· • ' ' · ·umi nosoif has remainedJ-an· eni at·t c ' c - - rofes·s i r A6l'maiff Gusman1iifeinoso · - i¥ '69 an n ak'in•g -it § ' name· from 1 ff -· ii ' _ V olue • - - t li'i -· -- - - - ' -- -· ·r i · jo e ca-r- Ioi1 Ma i at lf-i _ the· n·•· · ' tion tt- - eoi·i es of ciiliia- s- Mao P Q f ft - -t • i r s- · itself as the world's ' an'· v99 _ ··ata aeif''fses '- • ust about' ever # - p J Yone- • in - 1 0 i ee1 oc' anu modei-11 cb'ina and shuns· outsi•de ' f' ' n -- OD ' 'fi Iow l fi - - -r tion· ·v r iou ly - - ll ·-- esti ma·ted to comprise· rsanizedt •iii ·tight cells Sendero Luniinoso has n ' ti -e-- Although not capable of sophis- '• '1 ' Ci t j g - -_it b s expanded outsi e its r l d--· of-1_ 'Ayacucho· launching attacks 1n several Jlff - _Jt' _ l °4 c J ing tJ e· _ r to the capital has een l Y - - - 1 ra1 sing the level of po I itical tension t ift - - 1h t- -• j S r· 'f l t t n J o-ver ent finds itself in a diffi 7ult _ ' - ' -- f -i - Q i - roi wunoso-- is· ruthless and not open to dialogue f - - t r -tl -Per v ian-· political system--democratic or not-- - - f uP t i d' ·· uting --1983 and 1984 stepped up violence The · - - i ml i-far f ur 9es 'ia'1l out var against the guerrillas free from the -' ' f J i 'Bi mposed y constitutional order Liberals call for· · • ·_ ·a·lt-l ev-ilatiiig-·t ne---causes -of subversion through extensive economic - •· IDiv i t vhitcb Pi rti cannot afford in its current financial - f- · f Jtc yil ifi• ·' Onvi-lling to unleash the military and unable to ' _ • - dejo economtc --resourcesto the problem Belaunde and • Peru's -t - ' • • _ - -- Ml-iti ci-ans wil-1 confront an increasingly bleak situation The · - · '· clmh1nat ion·- of economic deterioration and subversive violence t br tens _ the· continuance of democratic government The rising - ----t s fo between the military and the civilian authorities brought · ·· E'a 'out -by terrorist violence increase the risk of a military coup ··jeopardi Zing the pr sidential elections scheduled for April 1985 0 •• ' 'i - • • ft CONFIDENTIAL UNCLASSIFIED - - · - ' --- · · - · · -- - toNFi-n wr iL - --- · -- - -_ ·· · - ' ' • 'i - · · · -· ' Tlfet S-h in'inq P atb · tO Re v o i ution t i ' -- · · _ _ - JC-- _ - -- - -_ · - ' f · _·_ J --- •9 i t i u1 ·vrot e · that •·11arxisnr -Len-inism - 1ill · · ith_e slii hing $ to ·revolution •- In l 97·0 Guzman and his f 1 -r students a ·- the un·iversity of s - i 0 - t t lt- # 19 n ' r·i'i ' fti-st · _· _·-_ 1' - E j$Jf '-fWl 5 f e-_· pe u ian Commun1st arty nd formed the · · Q 9 se a -J Y ' ' -f Cir ·t-be···sh1 n -ng ·Path ·0£ Mar1 ategu1 or Sendero - ' - - · · i ni so ·- iShm t- eath • - ·O The mo ta i nous Ayacucho region inhabited by about half -a- mili ion· chn -speat- ug peasants--7-0 percent of whom speak no ·s i sh at 1 1 ts almcs- completely divorced from the coastal -reg on ···that · forms modern _ p-eru Traditionally neglected it is without· i 1i4tt t--ry or steady1-public worts programs and has extremely poor · soft - · Average life expectancy i-s -about 45 years running w ter -·electr ici-ty and medl --services are almost nonexistent outside the -few ' lllaiD towns 'Ruch of the region is not even accur atei-y mapped 0 U During the I970s Sendero Luminoso activists fanned-out Ayacucho l'ea-rning its language and customs and preaching -tbtnr brand- of agra-r ian communism They worked their way into key positions -as -school teachersr agricultural advisers and peasant organ-uers Sometime during this period Sendero' s political phi¼osopby evolved into a more radical militant one which advocat-ed ar-med struggle as t be only way to achieve lastir g change in Peru sendero Luminoso made no distinction between military or democratic regimes-#' denouncing the entire Peruvian political structure as bankrupt Most Peruvian leftists of the day fashionably spoke of armed struggle but Guzman and his followers believed what they said - · • ross l C In 1978 Guzman disappeared from public vie Be may have been imprisoned for a time in 1979 Recent rumors have him living disguised as a monk in a remote monastery and his state of health is not known Be reportedly suffered from a potentially fatal skin disease an·d ma y be dead Whatever his fate Guzman survives as a potent force in the Sendero·pantheon Transformed into Comrade sometimes President Gonzalo Guzman has become the •rourth sword of Communism • alongside Marx -Lenin and Mao Gonza' io' s ·11 guiding thougbts • usually expressed as Maoist-sounding aphorisms have inspired the party faithful including more than 800 in jail Bis use of peasant occult customs and messianic traditions bas built support a mo g the peasantry Gonzalo numbered among the ills of the world all forms of communism Peru's CONFIDENTIAL UNCLASSIFIED - __ _ __ UNCLASSIFIED 2 COLOM-BIA ECUADOR BRAZIL South p 4- Ci f i C PERU Ocean mer-gene zones In Pera BOLIVIA - · - · - Boundary of setected departments International boundary t ® · Natrona caoitat 0 300 CONF'lDEN' lAL UNCLASSIFIED ' UNCLA SSIFiEI ' · ·_ · ·· cc Vi9lence perpetrated by sendero Luminoso since the Ayacu ho raid·· has become more widespread and intense The group has expanded its scope of· operations beyond Ayacucho and the government· has declared a new emergency zone in the Huallaga River Valley see map Sendero has also launched repeated attacks in Lima recruiting from among the urban poor 4ts urban activities gain more media- xposure and middle-class attention and have significantly increased Peruvian political tension Within the eme gency zones--areas accustomed to violence and brutality- Sendero tactics now include periodic massacres of peasants un ympathetic•to the cause Send ro cadres reportedly have not spared·women young children or elcerly people Fueling local fears and rival ies the killings have sparked retaliatory slaughters by peasants of suspected sendero sympa hizers rival vi11age groups and unsuspecting outsiders • CONFIDENTIAL UNCLASSIFIED -· - -· •-o- • • •• • _• •• I • • -•' • •• ioaa · ·-· ·· l f £eii - · · i - - _ se_·- i · - · · -- - _ 111t• _eacb · · - J _ J - i __ _ - · - _ ··-· - i · -- - - _· - ·-- ·· • a½1r ssed seiiaero - ttmi nosa- mem ···f1e°E Htliei ct iitta - - · · • - g_ g_alnst _thenf -- · - ·b _ _ · - _ · ·- -un atnea· 'imia · · ·· · ·· ·· ea --- - - -- - - equ - --··· - l9iQ §l y fied wh ·- attacked organintion The -- -_ -- - - at ' -icth ·senitero F9 1Pl er rs ·-- - e - t -- - t ally e s r eluc- tributat le to seiidero Lwlliiioso -·ti reab It waif rein ii ' - -- ¥el t t ·mii1 ai y ··invoiv ent could r'¢ l13 Biuaunaer 'fearedi that a militarv r 1-mn a ign - ••· -wl -- a r j gbts uses ·_and ·ca11 bythe nigh -- 1 • f i al •niceties•· which could impede - --- - -- - - - ___ i 1 - f _l -- 0• •• - • _ - f o e · M i '' 9P 9- change after the 1982 attack on __ · t E itia'1 r e - was to airlift an elite ° · Sinchis brave va riors• in Quechua -- - · ·_ tpg g¥- -r · - sxr z · - ltliough ---- t 1ii 9 Mj ij @ - J1 rf the more heavily armed and somewhat regular police the Sinchis fared · _ 1f i2re titt -ter -·onable· t -o speak the local language the troops · ·- · · w e i QUS of qe peasant The peasants resented heavy · - handed Sirichi htactb s· The •brave warriors• kept retreating in - iii fit e· o s io· attacks and eventually were withdrawn leaving yac_u-chQ· J#- Sendero· control 1·· '·_ - - - - In Decembe ·i9 82 · the government sent 3 000-4 000 troops-ha l J•·ftf - - - - rines and air force and the rest police-·- into ·fne1 'Jiy 8' 1cho· emergency zone Army Gen Clemente Noel was app -fn ecf pqli t _tc al mt itary commander of the zone Although ther e ·wer ' iJJi· i'a t · t P r n ts of successes the campaign was poorly pl ecf' d' ··ex d· ·and soon boggad down In late 1983 Noel was rept c·ed-'° Y• a ' iue-c u - peaking son of peasants Gen Adrian Huaman Cerit no • 'In -July 198-4 · Belaunde yielded to pressures and gave the armed fotc 'es- a -- o_road somewhat vaguely worded mandate to take control of···fhe· antft ertorist campaign nationwide Huaman combined toughness with attempts to win the hearts and minds of the local CONFIDENTIAL UNCLASSIFIED · -- launde and whoever succeeds him in 1985 faces an increassendero Luminoso shows no signs of r #nouncing -its ruth1ess armed struggle and the military is not ·r e ti v e· to the idea of dialogue even if it were feasible The ar fcrces de net appear capable of winning militarily and may be ·t ted·to try physically annihilating Sendero Luminoso by 1imi a ting everyone suspected of being a member or sympathizer Theie is no financing available for large-scale development progr to al1eviat the c ushing poverty and backwardness of the emergency zones· even if the political will to do so was to be J ' 9 Y cli -J situation found· In sum there is a growing danger that the Shining Pa th to revolution may become instead the ath that returns Peru to a repeat of the 1968 military coup that set aside civilian rule for over a dacade Prepared by William H Crane 632-3031 Approved by John DeWitt 632-2229 CONFIDENTIAL UNCLASSIFIED • I