Their seems to be a hard core split between the old guard of the Communist Party of Peru, called Shining Path in the press, and a new band of rebels claiming to carry on people’s war. It’s been know for some time that a new leader, Victor Quispe Palomino, has led a smaller, but very active faction of guerrillas often referring to them as the Popular Liberation Army.
Meanwhile, Abimael Guzman, known as Chairman Gonzalo, has called for peace talks and open called for an end to the insurgency. He has written a book that has just come out about his life. He has been sentenced to life in prison for the second time in 2006.
The split is deep and puts into question who the peasants of Peru will reguard as the genuine PCP.
According to CBS News:
“A band of 400 rebels headed by Victor Quispe Palomino has killed 39 soldiers since Peru's military launched an offensive into a remote rebel stronghold last year. The rebel death toll is unknown.Quispe Palomino has openly split with Guzman, and his band distributes pamphlets calling Guzman a "traitor." Last week, Guzman longtime lover and second-in-command Elena Iparraguirre issued a letter from prison that calls the active rebels "mercenaries."
With all of this news the question is: what will happen to the Peru People's Movement which has supported both the people’s war and Chairman Gonzalo.
Just recently they published an article called ” MORE AND MORE, WE GRASP CHAIRMAN GONZALO'S SPEECH AS A COMBAT WEAPON!”
They can’t continue to support both sides. The group will soon have to decide who the real PCP is and which side they will support. The split is too deep for them to continue to support both.
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