Militarized Communist Party of Peru

The Militarized Communist Party of Peru (Spanish: Militarizado Partido Comunista del Perú, MPCP;[note 1] formerly known as SL-Proseguir) is a militant group in Peru that follows Marxism–Leninism–Maoism and participates in the communist insurgency in Peru. It is considered a terrorist organization by the government of Peru. The MPCP operates primarily in the VRAEM area and is involved in the area's coca production.[3] Comrade José has been the leader of MPCP since its creation in 2018 after its split from the declining Shining Path guerilla group.[4]

Militarized Communist Party of Peru
Militarizado Partido Comunista del Perú
Also known as	Remanentes de Sendero Luminoso (Remnants of the Shining Path) Sendero Luminoso en el VRAEM (Shining Path in the VRAEM) Sendero Luminoso-Proseguir (Shining Path-Onward; 1992–2018)
Leader	Comrade José
Dates of operation	1992 (1992)–present (present)
Split from	Shining Path
Active regions	VRAEM
Ideology	Communism Marxism–Leninism–Maoism Anti-capitalism Anti-revisionism Xi Jinping Thought Ethnic nationalism[1] Ultranationalism[1]
Major actions	Involvement in the communist insurgency in Peru through the use of: Drug trafficking Kidnapping Terrorist attacks Mass murders and massacres
Status	Active
Opponents	Peru Shining Path
Flag

Area of action of the MPCP in March 2023

The MPCP is considered the direct successor to the Shining Path by the government of Peru and other international entities, because most of its members splintered from the Shining Path in 1992. Ideologically, the group brands itself as a Maoist organization, although it is very different from Shining Path.[5] The MPCP has been influenced by Andean ethnic and ultranationalist beliefs from former members of the Peruvian Armed Forces,[1] and has moved away from the anti-religious stance of SL.[4] In 2018, the MPCP formed an alliance with the Ethnocacerist movement, called the United Democratic Andean Revolutionary Front of Peru (Spanish: Frente Unido Democrático Andino Revolucionario del Perú).[1] Unlike the Shining Path, recently the MPCP has embraced Xi Jinping Thought and seeks to emulate the Communist Party of China.[6][7]

The MPCP has stated that it has severed its ties with the leader of the Shining Path, Abimael Guzmán, after his capture in 1992 and subsequent call for peace in 1993. However, the MPCP itself has been accused of human rights violations, including slavery of indigenous peoples,[8] recruitment of children for use as child soldiers,[9] and terrorist attacks against civilians and members of the Peruvian government, including the San Miguel del Ene attack on 23 May 2021, killing 18 people in the Satipo Province of Peru.