Peru: Information on Sendero Luminoso

For information on Sendero Luminoso, please find attached the following previous responses to information requests dealing with the subject:

-PER2217: Information on Shining Path - Sendero Luminoso (5 October 1989).

-PER2259: Presence of Sendero Luminoso in universities (6 October 1989).

-PER3219: Statistics on Sendero Luminoso attacks against military personnel; role of women in Sendero Luminoso (13 December 1989).

-PER3826: Recruitment methods used by Shining Path (2 February 1990).

-PER4473: Latest news on Sendero Luminoso activities (23 February 1990).

-PER2756: Information on a Sendero Luminoso branch in Spain (2 January 1990).

-Not numbered (17 May 1989): Individual attacks on military personnel by members of Sendero Luminoso.

-Not numbered (9 May 1989): possibility of threat by Sendero Luminoso against the sons and widow of an Air Force member killed by Sendero Luminoso.

For additional information, please find attached the section of Revolutionary and Dissident Movements (London: Keesing's Reference Publications, 1988) on Peru, which contains information on Sendero Luminoso.

Also attached, please find a copy of two articles from the Peruvian newsmagazine Caretas briefly summarized below.

"Planes de Marzo" (Month of March Plans) of 5 March 1990, p. 24, reports on Sendero's setbacks in its recent attempts to mobilize forces and carry out different actions, as well as discussions at a Sendero meeting of the Comité Ampliado (Broadened Committee) of Sendero Luminoso formed by committees of the five committees: North, South, Centre, East and Metropolitan. Among the setbacks discussed in the article were Sendero's failure to fulfil its announced siege of the capital in July 1989, the capture of many cadres mobilized from the provinces to the capital, the presence of peasant patrols in rural areas and its lack of success in infiltrating popular and workers' organizations. The latter reportedly occurred because of the strong organization of leftist parties among unions. Finally, the article states that Sendero, after the setbacks, has found it necessary to mobilize so-called "reserve" forces from the capital to increase the strength of cadres in the countryside.

"El Sueño del Sindicato" (The Dream of the Union) of 25 September 1989, pp. 32B-32C and 84, provides information on the organizational structure of Sendero Luminoso and its operational methods within the capital. The latter includes the creation of "resistance centres" grouped under the "Movimiento Revolucionario de Defensa del Pueblo" (People's Defense Revolutionary Movement), allied with the rural "Frente Revolucionario de Defensa del Pueblo" (People's Defense Revolutionary Front), which form part of the "Frente Unico" (Single Front or Unique Front) also referred to as the "República Popular de Nueva Democracia" (People's Republic of New Democracy, which is also, according to various sources, the name Sendero uses for a Peru under its control, "liberated areas" in the countryside allegedly forming part of such a republic). According to the article, most front organizations are extremely small, but try to give an impression of size and popular support. Page 84 describes the infiltration and recruitment methods within unions used by Sendero: loyal "senderistas" observe the worker movement within a company, if possible entering them as workers. Once the political ideas and affiliations of the leaders and affiliates of the place have been detected and evaluated, these senderistas start to participate in workers' assemblies where they observe the reactions of workers, particularly after distributing leaflets in which the senderistas' ideas are expressed. If they notice somebody's affinity or at least some interest, they invite him/her to a first meeting in which he is further enticed, and starts participating in an indoctrination process referred to as "escuela popular" (popular or people's school). If the individual keeps interest, he/she takes the first test which consists of distributing leaflets and painting graffiti favouring Sendero's cause. The final test is "petardeo" ("petardo" is a term usually used to describe a dynamite stick or bomb; the verbalized term refers to the act of placing or throwing bombs, but may be used broadly to include participation in armed attacks). After loyalty is assured among the maximum possible number of sympathizers within a union, Sendero reportedly moves on to other places to increase its membership. Finally, the article expresses concern about an increasing "fertile ground" for Sendero recruitment, how long the population can continue its peaceful resistance to Sendero and the disappointment of the police forces due to an unfulfilled government promise of a bonus for those who participate in the antisubversive struggle.