National Liberation Army (Peru)
Encyclopedia
The National Liberation Army (abbreviated as ELN, Spanish
: Ejército de Liberación Nacional) was a Peru
vian guerrilla band that sprang from the Movimiento de la Izquierda Revolucionaria. It sought to gather militants regardless of their political affiliation. A short-lived movement that was formed in 1962 and carried out numerous small skirmishes and actions culminating in a seven-month peak of militant actions in 1965, the ELN was largely scattered by the Peruvian Army
by December 1965.
who grew to share a "certain disdain of 'politics' and suspicion of any type of party organisation", as well as a few discontent members from the Peruvian Communist Party
. The new movement drained MIR of its youth branch, who largely joined the ELN.
Hector Bejar, one of the military commanders of the ELN, later summarised it as an attempt to create a "free association of revolutionaries" and "an army which would draw combatants together regardless of their ideologies or political affiliations". Following their collapse, Bejar remarked that one of their core mistakes had been not liasing and keeping communications open with larger revolutionary movements that could have supported them as they were attacked by the Peruvian Army; instead, they had opted to believe they could remain self-sufficient and rely on local recruits from the villages and plantations.
In 1962, the group considered itself under the leadership of Juan Pablo Chang Navarro.
, after receiving training in Cuba
. The group received assistance from the Bolivian Rodolfo Saldaña, who left later that year to fight in Argentina.
In January 1963, a group led by the 21-year old poet Javier Heraud and Alain Elias crossed through Bolivia, where they picked up weapons and entered southern Peru. Plagued by Leishmaniasis
infection, however, the 15-member team decided to enter the city of Puerto Maldonado
on May 15 to seek out medical supplies.
According to one source, the local police were warned of the group's advance, and captured the six team members who had been sent to the city limits. According to other sources, the six militants had checked into the local hotel, and a police officer who heard about it went to the hotel to demand identifying documents from the youth. When they refused to show identification, other officers were called and escorted them towards the local prison; one of the guerrillas drew a gun and killed Sgt. Aquilino Sam Jara. The officers returned fire, wounding two of the militants as the others ran off hoping to escape capture. Either way, Elias, Abraham Lama and Pedro Morote were all captured within days of entering the town. Heraud was shot in the chest and killed while he drifted past the town in a dugout canoe. Hector Bejar was one of the few to escape, and it proved difficult for him to rebuild the militant group.
In 1965, when MIR announced they were beginning militant operations in response to the arrest of Hugo Blanco
and the accession of the government of Fernando Belaunde Terry
, the ELN was still not ready to begin operations, but felt pressured to become operational prematurely. It formed the Javier Heraud Brigade as their main column and moved into the densely forested foothills of San Miguel
in April.
In June 1965, the ELN seized the Runateullo hacienda
and destroyed the bridge on the Satipo
highway that led to it, attacked a local mine, and assaulted the Andamarca police station. The group also launched an ambush at Yahuarina, where 17 ELN militants attacked a group of Civil Guard
s, killing nine, wounding nine and taking twelve prisoners (who were later released). Government officials later claimed there was evidence that the dead had been tortured.
That summer, Guillermo Lobatan led a group of ELN militants who attacked an Army Ranger encampment, capturing weapons and supplies; it was this action which first publicised the name of the Javier Heraud Brigade.
On September 25, 1965, the ELN led the seizure of the Chapi hacienda and execution of the two brothers who oversaw the plantation. The Carillo brothers, who owned the estate which extended over a large area of the La Mar Province
, were alleged to have been cruel to their indentured and unpaid workers, frequently whipping and imprisoning them, and, in one January 1963 instance, to have strangled and beheaded a tenant farmer who objected to their seizure of his livestock. Following reports of the death of the brothers, the Civil Guard occupied the plantation to the jeers of the workers.
As the group was encircled towards the end of 1965, membership dwindled until there were only 13 remaining guerrillas still hiding in the forests together.
On December 17, the army made substantial contact with the group near Tincoj and the ensuing firefight left three militants dead, including Edgardo Tello. Bejar and the remaining militants scattered into the forest and were unable to regroup as they fled the army's advance separately.
in the Nancahuazu
. Although one source suggests that Navarro survived, and actually tried to revive the militant movement in 1980 under the same name.
American ambassadr Llewellyn E. Thompson used the 1963 skirmish as evidence that Fidel Castro
was destabilising the hemisphere, in an oral statement to Soviet ambassador Anatoliy F. Dobrynin.
Bejar was arrested when he fled to Lima to seek medical treatment; authorities said they surprised him convalescing in a Lima residence. He served four years for sedition
before being pardoned by General Juan Velasco Alvarado
, who took power in 1968, and requested that Bejar work on reforming land policies with the government.
Bejar was arrested again in 1979 in a "roundup of prominent left-wingers", and later went on to work as a doctor in Puno
, and as a Social Sciences
lecturer at San Marcos University.
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Ejército de Liberación Nacional) was a Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian guerrilla band that sprang from the Movimiento de la Izquierda Revolucionaria. It sought to gather militants regardless of their political affiliation. A short-lived movement that was formed in 1962 and carried out numerous small skirmishes and actions culminating in a seven-month peak of militant actions in 1965, the ELN was largely scattered by the Peruvian Army
Peruvian Army
The Peruvian Army is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with safeguarding the independence, sovereignty and integrity of national territory on land through military force. Additional missions include assistance in safeguarding internal security, conducting disaster relief operations...
by December 1965.
Formation
The group was composed largely of former members of the MIRRevolutionary Left Movement (Peru)
Revolutionary Left Movement , was a Marxist group founded in Peru in 1962 by Luis de la Puente Uceda and his group APRA Rebelde, a splinter-group from the APRA which had rallied the government in the 1950s and 1960s...
who grew to share a "certain disdain of 'politics' and suspicion of any type of party organisation", as well as a few discontent members from the Peruvian Communist Party
Peruvian Communist Party
The Peruvian Communist Party is a communist party in Peru. It was founded in 1928 by José Carlos Mariátegui, under the name Partido Socialista del Perú . In 1930 the name was changed to PCP...
. The new movement drained MIR of its youth branch, who largely joined the ELN.
Hector Bejar, one of the military commanders of the ELN, later summarised it as an attempt to create a "free association of revolutionaries" and "an army which would draw combatants together regardless of their ideologies or political affiliations". Following their collapse, Bejar remarked that one of their core mistakes had been not liasing and keeping communications open with larger revolutionary movements that could have supported them as they were attacked by the Peruvian Army; instead, they had opted to believe they could remain self-sufficient and rely on local recruits from the villages and plantations.
In 1962, the group considered itself under the leadership of Juan Pablo Chang Navarro.
Known membership
- Hector Bejar
- Javier HeraudJavier HeraudJavier Heraud Pérez was a Peruvian poet and member of the Ejército de Liberación Nacional .In January 1963, a group led by the 21-year-old poet Javier Heraud and Alain Elias crossed through Bolivia, where they picked up weapons, and entered southern Peru...
, poet with a large following after whom a brigade was subsequently named. - Edgardo Tello, together with Heraud, hailed as "guerrilla poets".
- Hugo Ricra
- Moises Valiente, construction labourer
- Juan Chang, former leader in the Frente de Izquierda Revolucionaria
- Luis Zapata, leader of construction labourers in Cuzco
- Guillermo Mercado, former leader in the FIR and Leninist Central Committee
- Guillermo Lobatan, leader of an attack on a Ranger encampment.
- Nemisio Junco, an "unbelievably affectionate and sincere" mestizoMestizoMestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
ferry operator who was among the first to join, and was killed at Sojos
Militant activity
The ELN formed mobile training groups, desiring to have professional guerrillas sent into the rugged terrain rather than untrained volunteers. Approximately fifty group members were also believed to be entering southern Peru from BoliviaBolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, after receiving training in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. The group received assistance from the Bolivian Rodolfo Saldaña, who left later that year to fight in Argentina.
In January 1963, a group led by the 21-year old poet Javier Heraud and Alain Elias crossed through Bolivia, where they picked up weapons and entered southern Peru. Plagued by Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites that belong to the genus Leishmania and is transmitted by the bite of certain species of sand fly...
infection, however, the 15-member team decided to enter the city of Puerto Maldonado
Puerto Maldonado
Puerto Maldonado is a city in Southeastern Peru in the Amazon forest west of the Bolivian border on the confluence of the Tambopata and Madre de Dios River, a tributary of the Amazon River. It is the capital of the Madre de Dios Region....
on May 15 to seek out medical supplies.
According to one source, the local police were warned of the group's advance, and captured the six team members who had been sent to the city limits. According to other sources, the six militants had checked into the local hotel, and a police officer who heard about it went to the hotel to demand identifying documents from the youth. When they refused to show identification, other officers were called and escorted them towards the local prison; one of the guerrillas drew a gun and killed Sgt. Aquilino Sam Jara. The officers returned fire, wounding two of the militants as the others ran off hoping to escape capture. Either way, Elias, Abraham Lama and Pedro Morote were all captured within days of entering the town. Heraud was shot in the chest and killed while he drifted past the town in a dugout canoe. Hector Bejar was one of the few to escape, and it proved difficult for him to rebuild the militant group.
In 1965, when MIR announced they were beginning militant operations in response to the arrest of Hugo Blanco
Hugo Blanco
Hugo Blanco is a popular Venezuelan musician. He is best known as the author of "Moliendo Café" and other songs like "El Burrito de Belén" , "Leche Condensada", "Luces de Caracas", "Sierra Nevada", "Mañanita Zuliana", and others...
and the accession of the government of Fernando Belaunde Terry
Fernando Belaúnde Terry
Fernando Belaúnde Terry was President of Peru for two non-consecutive terms . Deposed by a military coup in 1968, he was re-elected in 1980 after eleven years of military rule...
, the ELN was still not ready to begin operations, but felt pressured to become operational prematurely. It formed the Javier Heraud Brigade as their main column and moved into the densely forested foothills of San Miguel
San Miguel Province
The San Miguel Province is one of the thirteen provinces in the Cajamarca Region of Peru. It was created by Law No. 15152 on September 29, 1964 by president Fernando Belaunde Terry. It has a mountainous territory which varies in height from 500 to more than 4,000 meters above sea level...
in April.
In June 1965, the ELN seized the Runateullo hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
and destroyed the bridge on the Satipo
Satipo
Satipo is a town in central Peru, capital of the province Satipo in the region Junín.-External links:...
highway that led to it, attacked a local mine, and assaulted the Andamarca police station. The group also launched an ambush at Yahuarina, where 17 ELN militants attacked a group of Civil Guard
Civil Guard (Peru)
The Civil Guard in Peru was formed as main preventive police force of Peru in 1922. It was organized and trained by a Spanish police mission sent to Peru at that time. It was not a detective force, investigations being carried out by the Investigative Police of Peru founded in the same year, while...
s, killing nine, wounding nine and taking twelve prisoners (who were later released). Government officials later claimed there was evidence that the dead had been tortured.
That summer, Guillermo Lobatan led a group of ELN militants who attacked an Army Ranger encampment, capturing weapons and supplies; it was this action which first publicised the name of the Javier Heraud Brigade.
On September 25, 1965, the ELN led the seizure of the Chapi hacienda and execution of the two brothers who oversaw the plantation. The Carillo brothers, who owned the estate which extended over a large area of the La Mar Province
La Mar Province
La Mar Province is a province in the north-east corner of the Ayacucho Region, Peru. It was created on March 30, 1861.-Political division:The province is divided into eight districts , each of which is headed by a mayor...
, were alleged to have been cruel to their indentured and unpaid workers, frequently whipping and imprisoning them, and, in one January 1963 instance, to have strangled and beheaded a tenant farmer who objected to their seizure of his livestock. Following reports of the death of the brothers, the Civil Guard occupied the plantation to the jeers of the workers.
Counterinsurgency by Peruvian Army
In October, following the overthrow of the Chapi hacienda, the Peruvian Army began a large counterattack aimed at wiping out the ELN. First sending a patrol disguised as militants asking local residents where they could find their comrades, the Army quickly rooted out sympathisers and collaboraters. According to the ELN, the locals were tortured and executed.As the group was encircled towards the end of 1965, membership dwindled until there were only 13 remaining guerrillas still hiding in the forests together.
On December 17, the army made substantial contact with the group near Tincoj and the ensuing firefight left three militants dead, including Edgardo Tello. Bejar and the remaining militants scattered into the forest and were unable to regroup as they fled the army's advance separately.
Aftermath
Not every group member's fate is known. Juan Pablo Chang Navarro (known as El Chino), Jose Cabrera Flores (known as El Negro) and Lucio Galvan (known as Eustaquio) were all believed to have been killed in 1967, fighting alongside Che GuevaraChe Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
in the Nancahuazu
National Liberation Army (Bolivia)
The National Liberation Army was a Marxist-Leninist guerrilla organization that operated in Bolivia during the 1960s and 1970s. It was formed by Che Guevara and backed by Fidel Castro's government in Cuba and the Soviet-led alliance in the Cold War...
. Although one source suggests that Navarro survived, and actually tried to revive the militant movement in 1980 under the same name.
American ambassadr Llewellyn E. Thompson used the 1963 skirmish as evidence that Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
was destabilising the hemisphere, in an oral statement to Soviet ambassador Anatoliy F. Dobrynin.
Bejar was arrested when he fled to Lima to seek medical treatment; authorities said they surprised him convalescing in a Lima residence. He served four years for sedition
Sedition
In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
before being pardoned by General Juan Velasco Alvarado
Juan Velasco Alvarado
Juan Francisco Velasco Alvarado was a left-leaning Peruvian General who ruled Peru from 1968 to 1975 under the title of "President of the Revolutionary Government."- Early life :...
, who took power in 1968, and requested that Bejar work on reforming land policies with the government.
Bejar was arrested again in 1979 in a "roundup of prominent left-wingers", and later went on to work as a doctor in Puno
Puno
Puno is a city in southeastern Peru, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It is the capital city of the Puno Region and the Puno Province with a population of approximately 100,000. The city was established in 1668 by viceroy Pedro Antonio Fernández de Castro as capital of the province of...
, and as a Social Sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
lecturer at San Marcos University.