Author: Kelsey Newhook
Co-Editors: Eileen Molloy, Ella Mackinnon, Alina Schroeder, and Justin Anderson
The flag for the Shining Path. The red represents socialism, communism, and the left-wing.
The Shining Path (also called Sendero Luminoso) was born in 1970 under the control of Abimael Guzman, a philosophy teacher (“Shining Path”). They’re a guerrilla communist militant group created in Peru with the goal of overthrowing the government “and replace them with a communist peasant revolutionary regime” (“The Rise and Fall of Shining Path” 2008). The Shining Path was formed under “models such as Stalinist Russia and the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia”. But, Shining Path was most heavily influenced by Marixism. Guzman created the Shining Path under Marxist beliefs and took his inspiration from a Peruvian Marxist, Jose Carlos Mariategui. The term Shining Path comes from a passage written by Mariategui, stating
“Marxism-Leninism will open the shining path to revolution.”
Shining Path began growing popularity with college students before forming militas in the late 1970’s (“A Brief History of the Shining Path” 2006). Their first act of violence was after the first democratic election in the 1980s where they attacked polling stations. The Shining Path grew more popularity after this and with little concern from the government, they expanding into a destructive, dangerous group. By 1991, the Shining Path had taken over a number of towns, spread into cities (such as Lima) and were responsible for “attacks on power stations and industrial areas… burning down shopping malls” (“A Brief History of the Shining Path” 2006) and bombings. They also eliminated “non-maoist movements, killing politicians, members of trade unions, and other communists who were against murder. It also began killing priests who shielded those who they wanted dead.”(“A Brief History of the Shining Path” 2006). By the end of their popularity, the Shining Path had killed 25,000 people (“Peru: Long-diminished Shining Path,” 2015). In 1992, Guzman was captured, which led to the – supposedly – end of the Shining Path (“The Rise and Fall of Shining Path” 2008). In 1997, the Shining Path was officially called a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Guzman put in a cage for public humiliation by Fujimori (the current president at the time) after his arrest
Below is a speech from Guzman, days after being captured and placed in a cage for a public press conference as a form of public humiliation.
Long Live the Communist Party of Peru!
The People’s War Will Inevitably Be Victorious!
We Salute the Future Birth of the People’s Republic of Peru!
We say: Glory to Marxism-Leninism-Maoism!
Finally we say: Honor and Glory to the People of Peru!
But where is Shining Path now, in 2017? It can’t be entirely gone, right?
In 2008, Shining Path members were found to be involved with drug traffickers. During an anti-drug patrol, they killed one police officer and wounded 11 other people (“The Rise and Fall of Shining Path” 2008). In 2012, the leader following Guzman, Comrade Artemio, was captured (“Peru admits Shining Path rebels,” 2015). This led to the assumption that the Shining Path was officially over, with no hierarchy to control it. However, in 2015 it was said that the group still had 350 members and 80 fighters. In 2016, the guerrilla group performed another attack by killed 10 military and civilian personnel while they were transporting election materials (“Shining Path”). This attack occurred a day before an election to decrease Peru’s coca production. Currently, Shining Path has an alliance to drug traffickers, providing them security in exchange for weapons and money. Now, in 2017, the Peruvian army discovered a slave camp in the Apurimac-Ene and Mantaro River Valley kept by the rebels where 39 people were rescued – most of which were children. This isn’t the only time Shining Path has been discovered keeping slaves, with a similar event happening in 2015. Only a few days ago (as of March 3rd, 2017) Guzman, the creator of Shining Path is facing trial for a second life sentence. He was already issued one life sentence for trying to overthrow the government and is in the process of being issued another for ordering a bombing in Lima, an attack that killed 25 people in 1992 (“Shining Path founder Guzman,” 2017).
Villagers are mourning and burying loved ones from the attacks done by the Shining Path decades after
Two decades after, the Shining Path is still alive and active. Their activities aren’t as threatening and are more condensed to drug trafficking rather than politics. However, it’s still present and they’re still viewed as a terrorist group. The current leader of Shining Path who ordered the attack before the April election in 2016 is being sought for $600,000 by the government (“Shining Path ambush kills 10”, 2016). The Shining Path has decreased significantly in size and has lost control under a leader but is long from being gone. Peru has not yet terminated this group and still have years before that may happen.
Summary Questions
- Who created The Shining Path? Abimael Guzman
- When was Guzman captured? 1992
- Under what ideology was The Shining Path formed? Marxism
- When was The Shining Path created? 1970s
Works Cited
Martel, F. (2015, August 6). Peru: Long-diminished Shining Path terror group may now have up to 350 members. Retrieved from breitbart.com
Post, C. (2016, April 12). Shining Path ambush kills 10 on eve of Peru’s election. Retrieved from perureports.com
(2006, November 28). A Brief History of the Shining Path. Retrieved from enperublog.com
(2008, May 6). The Rise and Fall of Shining Path. Retrieved from coha.org
(2015, August 6). Peru admits Shining Path rebels have not been ‘exterminated’. Retrieved from bbc.com
(2017, February 28). Shining Path founder Guzman faces second life sentence in Peru. Retrieved from reuter.com
Shining Path. Retrieved from perureports.com