What is it about?
The main objectives of Che’s guerrilla in Bolivia were to serve as a catalyst and a training center for guerrilla struggle in the rest of Latin America. The Peruvian guerrilla movement played a key role in Guevara’s strategic conceptions. Guevara’s first idea was to strengthen the guerrilla in Peru through his personal participation in this revolutionary endeavor. It was only after the defeat of the Peruvian guerrilla in 1965 that he turned his eye on Bolivia. However, Peru maintained its strategic role in the continental guerrilla project of Guevara as evidenced by the attempts of Peruvian guerrillas to build a guerrilla force nearby the border of Bolivia. This article sheds new light on the relationship between the Peruvian and the Bolivian guerrilla, based on a literature review and interviews with former Peruvian guerrillas.
Featured Image
Why is it important?
In this article we discuss the strategic role of Peru in the continental guerrilla project of Guevara. We argue that the initial objective of Che Guevara was to strengthen the guerrilla struggle in Peru led by the Peruvian ELN in the department of Ayacucho. The idea to develop the Bolivian guerrilla emerged after the defeat of the ELN in December 1965. The end of the guerrilla struggle in the mentioned department did not imply the end of Peru’s strategic role in Guevara’s continental guerrilla project as in the same time period as the Bolivian guerrilla was constructed also in the department of Puno attempts were made to build a guerrilla force. Our arguments are based on a literature review and interviews and correspondence with ex-militants of the Peruvian ELN. The map that accompanies this article visualizes the strategic role of Peru for the Bolivian guerrilla and, more in particular, the strategic role of the Peruvian guerrilla in the department of Puno.
Perspectives
The importance of the Peruvian ELN in Guevara’s continental guerrilla project can be evidenced by, first of all, Guevara’s intent to participate in the guerrilla struggle in 1965 in the department of Ayacucho. The discussions about the location of the Bolivian guerrilla front form the second proof. It can be argued that these conversations pointed to areas nearby the Peruvian border. As a matter of fact, it was not intended to start the guerrilla war in the south of Bolivia but in the department of Alto Beni, nearby the border of Peru, or in the department of Cochabamba, in the centre of the country. The third and fourth indication are the participation of militants of the Peruvian ELN in the Bolivian guerrilla led by Che Guevara, and the financial support and training facilities provided by the Cuban authorities in order to build up a guerrilla front in the department of Puno. Finally, the fifth substantiation of the importance of the Peruvian ELN in Che’s continental guerrilla project is the work of the Peruvian ELN to set up a logistical corridor, food and weapon depots, between the department of Puno and the supposed guerrilla front in the department of Alto Beni in Bolivia.
Dr Jan Lust
Universidad Ricardo Palma
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Role of the Peruvian Guerrilla in Che Guevara's Continental Guerrilla Project, Bulletin of Latin American Research, December 2015, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/blar.12435.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
