With most of its leaders captured or dead, the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) based in Peru, has been in decline over the past several years. However, one of the group’s main long-term goals is to expel the US and Western commercial and diplomatic presence from Peru. Recent reorganizations by the MRTA, and outside support, have fueled the possibility that MRTA is ready for action. As such, the possibility of MRTA’s resurgence is significant and should not be discounted, since its anti-imperial ideology has prompted it to launch more anti-US attacks than any other group in Latin America.
While the MRTA is the lesser known of Peru‘s two main terrorist groups, it has always marketed itself as the more peaceful alternative to the equally violent Shining Path. Since 1997, the group has only conducted a handful of sporadic attacks and its membership presently consists of mainly young, inexperienced fighters.
A Reorganizing MRTA: Implications for the United States
Remaining MRTA members have recently announced that the group will be making its presence known once again. According to a December 2006 story by the Peruvian daily El Comercio, former MRTA rebels are now regrouping in neighboring countries and preparing to resume their armed struggle. This information was confirmed by Peruvian intelligence. According to the report, the group’s main cadre is stationed in Bolivia.
This alleged reorganization would be conducted under the rubric of the Bolivarian Continental Coordinator (CCB)—an organization sponsored by Colombia’s Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) and designed to consolidate opposition to US policies in the region. MRTA veterans are attempting to create the “Peru Chapter” of the CCB. While external support was not a major factor in the group’s initial terrorist campaign, it may play a pivotal role in the group’s potential resurgence. Within Peru, the MRTA lacks widespread popular support; nevertheless, with the existence of a strong external support network (logistical and financial), and well-established connections with groups like the FARC, MRTA could achieve the leverage it needs to mount a well-coordinated comeback.
This would not bode well for US economic and diplomatic interests in the region. Despite the low death toll from MRTA attacks, the group has previously engaged in spectacular terrorist attacks against elements of the Peruvian and United States government. MRTA waged an urban terrorism campaign, attacking the US Embassy, kidnapping businessmen and undertaking high-profile political assassinations. In addition, MRTA has bombed the Lima offices of the Texaco Corporation and the US consulate. The group has also launched attacks—employing rockets, mortars, and car bombs—on the US ambassador’s residence
Obstacles to MRTA Resurgence
Various factors may challenge MRTA’s resurgence, the most important of which are those that precluded the MRTA from becoming as successful as the Shining Path in the 1980s and 1990s. These included: lack of popular support; an alienating urban terrorism campaign; and lack of organizational capacity. Public opinion surveys show Peruvians do not sympathize with rebel movements and are strongly opposed to terrorist violence. In addition, lack of an organizational capacity was a significant obstacle to the group’s operational efficacy. While the Shining Path consider political organization necessary to successful social mobilization, the MRTA opted to use armed action as a means of bypassing the organization requirement. The absence of a cogent political plan or an effective organizational rubric has been a significant obstacle to the group’s success.
Looking Ahead
The MRTA’s participation in the CCB may help it overcome the obstacles that hindered the group from previously achieving its goals. The existence of significant external support and the development of a coordinated political campaign may make the group’s message more palatable to Peruvians. In this case, it is likely the group’s presence would pose a significant challenge to US interests in Peru, especially in Lima. If the group’s resurgence are consolidated, MRTA’s proclivity for attacking symbols of capitalist enterprise, as well as its attacks on diplomatic posts, would raise the threat level to US business personnel and government employees in Peru.
