Narco Terrorists in Peru Mimicking the FARC

The Shining Path is a Peruvian narco terrorist group that peaked in power in the 1990s. In fact, the term “narco terrorism” was coined in 1982 by the President of Peru, Fernando Belaunde Terry, in reference to this group’s activities. The Shining Path funded most of its operations from drug trafficking and extorting “protection” money drug traffickers in Peru.

Peru remains as one of the top cocaine-producing nations in the world and much of it is concentrated in an area known as the VRAEM, the valley of three rivers Apurimac, Ene, and Mantaro. The remaining 300 or so members of the Shining Path maintain a stronghold in this region.

It’s estimated that this communist rebel group killed as many 11,000 civilians. Fortunately, the Shining Path has dwindled in numbers and power, which resulted in far less bloodshed. Only three deaths were attributed to this group in 2015.

However, there seems to be a mini-resurgence of violence committed the Shining Path or successors groups. Two weeks ago, Peruvian terrorists conducted an attack against Peruvian military in VRAEM region that injured six soldiers. Four days earlier they ambushed and killed four police officers.

According to Peru’s newspaper, El Comercio, these attacks were attributed to a successor group of the Shining Path. This group had been known as the Militarized Communist Party of Peru (PCP). However, the group’s new name is the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Peru (FARP). It expresses a clear solidarity with the Colombian narco-terrorist group FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia). 

A Shining Path propaganda poster

We don’t know what will become of the FARP, which is led by a former Shining Path rebel, Victor Quispe Palomino aka Comrade Jose. However, to be fair, the FARC is transitioning to a political party with the same acronym, FARC (The Common Alternative Revolutionary Force). Unfortunately, the newly-elected Colombian President, Ivan Duque, has promised to renege on the 2016 Peace Agreement. 

Most members of the FARC have disbanded, but there are roughly 1,200 dissident members who have refused to lay down their arms. They continue to traffic drugs and commit terrorist acts. In fact, some of it has spilled across the border into Ecuador.