Peruvian Army Presses Proseguit Faction
| Publisher | Jamestown Foundation |
| Publication Date | 31 January 2012 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | Volume: 3 Issue: 1 |
| Cite as | Jamestown Foundation, Peruvian Army Presses Proseguit Faction, 31 January 2012, Volume: 3 Issue: 1, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4f2a77de2.html [accessed 3 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
"Comrade Artemio" is under pressure from the Peruvian army, which is honing in on the Shining Path in the Upper Huallaga Valley where Artemio's faction, called "Proseguir," or "Continue," is based. On January 10, 2012, one of the members of Artemio's security team, Marino Tapullima aka "Comrade Dante, Delta, and Kike", was captured in Cuñumbuza in San Martín Province while trying to recruit youths to join the Shining Path (El Comercio, January 9).
Artemio granted an interview at his base on December 1, 2011. For the first time ever Artemio, who said his real name is José Pepe Flores, allowed his face to be shown. He admitted that "the armed struggle is over," "excesses had been committed," and the political objectives that the Shining Path took up arms for"anti-imperialism, anti-bureaucratic capitalism, and anti-semi-feudalism" are unachievable. He denied having links to drug traffickers, but said that because the Shining Path's enemy was only the state, drug traffickers were allowed to operate in his territory. The U.S. State Department Narcotics Rewards Program has a $5 million reward for Artemio.
The other faction of the Shining Path led by "Comrade José" is based in the Apurimac and Ene River Valley, or VRAE, and is involved in the production and sale of coca base and cocaine. Artemio calls Comrade José's faction "mercenaries" with no connection to the Shining Path's revolutionary ideology because, unlike "Proseguir," they work with drug traffickers in return for a share of the profits (RPP Noticias, December 7, 2011).
Artemio may be trying to clean up his image, knowing that with only 150 to 200 fighters in Proseguir and the government closing in, his capture is imminent. However, after a 30-year career as a rebel who participated in all of the Shining Path's "excesses," he will likely meet the fate of Shining Path founder, Abimael Guzmán, who is serving a life term in prison, or Alfonso Cano, the leader of FARC who was shot dead by government troops in Colombia in November 2011. The Peruvian Defense Minister, Alberto Otárola, rejected Artemio's pleas to negotiate a military truce and to enter political negotiations. He said that the government does not negotiate with "murderers" (Peru21, January 19).
