Cablegate: Sendero Luminoso Leader "Feliciano" Cornered -- Yet Again

R 061721Z JUN 97
FM AMEMBASSY LIMA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7890
INFO AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
AMEMBASSY CARACAS
AMEMBASSY QUITO
AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
USCINCSO QUARRY HEIGHTS PM
AMEMBASSY LA PAZ

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 004928

SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL:6/5/07
TAGS: PTER PMIL PE
SUBJECT: SENDERO LUMINOSO LEADER "FELICIANO" CORNERED -- YET AGAIN

1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY JAMES F. MACK, DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION,
...

id: 886
date: 6/6/1997 17:21
refid: 97LIMA4928
origin: Embassy Lima
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination:
header:
R 061721Z JUN 97
FM AMEMBASSY LIMA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7890
INFO AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
AMEMBASSY CARACAS
AMEMBASSY QUITO
AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
USCINCSO QUARRY HEIGHTS PM
AMEMBASSY LA PAZ

----------------- header ends ----------------

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 004928

SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL:6/5/07
TAGS: PTER PMIL PE
SUBJECT: SENDERO LUMINOSO LEADER "FELICIANO" CORNERED -- YET AGAIN

1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY JAMES F. MACK, DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION,
AMERICAN EMBASSY, LIMA. REASON 1.5 (B,D).

2. (C) SUMMARY: A PERUVIAN MILITARY OFFICER IN THE AYACUCHO
REGION RECENTLY TOLD US THAT HIS UNIT BELIEVES OSCAR RAMIREZ DURAN
(A.K.A. "FELICIANO"), THE MOST IMPORTANT SENDERO LUMINOSO (SHINING
PATH - SL) LEADER OUTSIDE OF JAIL, IS STILL CORNERED WITH THIRTY TO
FIFTY CADRES IN A BROKEN, WOODED REGION NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF
THE MONTARO AND APURIMAC RIVERS. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT
PERUVIAN OFFICIALS HAVE EXPRESSED THEIR BELIEF THAT THE SL LEADER
WAS TRAPPED -- SOMEHOW IN THE PAST HE HAS ALWAYS MANAGED TO
ESCAPE. END SUMMARY.

3. (C) COLONEL DARWIN RENGIFO RIOS, SECOND IN COMMAND AT THE
AYACUCHO MILITARY BASE, TOLD US JUNE 4 THAT THE PERUVIAN MILITARY
HAD SUCCEEDED IN CORNERING SENDERO LUMINOSO (SL) LEADER "FELICIANO"
WITH THIRTY TO FIFTY SHINING PATH CADRES IN THE TRIANGULAR REGION
SOUTHWEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF THE APURIMAC AND MONTARO RIVERS.
THE ROUGHLY 900 SQUARE KILOMETER AREA IS HEAVILY WOODED, LIGHLY
POPULATED AND CHARACTERIZED BY EXTREMELY BROKEN TERRAIN. THERE IS
NO COCA CULTIVATION IN THE REGION; AS A RESULT, THE ARMY BELIEVES
"FELICIANO'S" GROUP IS UNABLE TO LIVE OFF WAR TAXES. RENGIFO
STATED THAT THE PERUVIAN MILITARY HAD LAUNCHED A NUMBER OF
OPERATIONS INTO THE AREA IN RECENT MONTHS BUT HAD NOT SUCCEEDED IN
CAPTURING THE SL LEADER. MILITARY FORCES RAIDED "FELICIANO'S" CAMP
SHORTLY AFTER IT WAS VACATED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND ONCE EVEN
CAPTURED THE SL LEADER'S BED. THE MILITARY ALSO DESTROYED OVER TEN
SEPARATE FARMING SITES, WHERE SHINING PATH HAD SOWN YUCA AND OTHER
CROPS AS FOODSTUFFS.

4. (C) THE COLONEL ASSERTED THAT AFTER YEARS OF SL ATROCITIES,
VILLAGERS THROUGHOUT THE REGION ARE FIRMLY ON THE GOVERNMENT'S
SIDE AGAINST THE TERRORIST GROUP. HE OBSERVED THAT THERE ARE NOW
OVER 120,000 RONDEROS (VILLAGE CIVIL DEFENSE MEMBERS) WITH OVER
6,000 WEAPONS IN THE AYACUCHO MILITARY DISTRICT. IF "FELICIANO"
AND THE SENDERO CADRES ATTEMPT TO FLEE THEIR CURRENT HIDEOUT, THEY
WILL BE QUICKLY SPOTTED IN THE TREELESS TERRAIN WHICH SURROUNDS THE
AREA, RENGIFO CLAIMED. HE ALSO SAID "FELICIANO" CANNOT HIDE OUT IN
ANY OF THE VILLAGES IN THE REGION BECAUSE THE RONDEROS WOULD
QUICKLY REPORT HIS PRESENCE. THE MILITARY IS REPOPULATING VILLAGES
WHICH HAD BEEN ABANDONED EARLIER DURING THE HEIGHT OF TERRORIST
VIOLENCE IN ORDER TO FURTHER REDUCE "FELICIANO'S" FREEDOM OF
ACTION. IN MID-JUNE, THERE ARE PLANS TO REPOPULATE TIRCOS, A
VILLAGE DUE WEST OF SAN FRANCISCO IN HUANTA PROVINCE, RENGIFO SAID.

5. (C) "FELICIANO" AND HIS GROUP FACE A DISMAL FUTURE, WITH FOOD
RUNNING OUT AND NOWHERE TO OBTAIN SUPPLIES, ACCORDING TO RENGIFO.
HE EXPRESSED HIS BELIEF THAT THE GROUP WILL EITHER (1) MAKE A BREAK
FOR IT AND EXPOSE ITSELF TO MILITARY ACTION, (2) BREAK UP AND
DISPERSE, OR (3) SUFFER A VIOLENT INTERNAL CONFRONTATION IN WHICH
SOME SL MEMBERS ARE KILLED. "I CAN'T SAY THAT WE WILL CAPTURE
'FELICIANO' TOMORROW, IN THE NEXT WEEK OR EVEN IN THE NEXT YEAR,"
HE SAID, "BUT TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR SENDERO LUMINOSO HERE."

6. (C) COMMENT: PERUVIAN MILITARY OFFICIALS HAVE EXPRESSED THEIR
BELIEF THAT SL LEADER "FELICIANO" HAS BEEN CORNERED MANY TIMES IN
RECENT YEARS. WE CANNOT CONFIRM, HOWEVER, THAT "FELICIANO" IS IN
FACT IN THE TRIANGULAR REGION DESCRIBED BY REGIFO; LOCAL MEDIA
REPORTS HAVE PLACED HIM IN CUSCO, LIMA, THE UPPER HUALLAGA VALLEY
AND OTHER LOCATIONS IN RECENT MONTHS. DESPITE FREQUENT REPORTS OF
HIS IMMINENT ARREST, "FELICIANO" HAS SO FAR ESCAPED THE ARMY'S NET.

JETT

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