Ronda Campesina
Encyclopedia
Ronda Campesinawas the name given to autonomous peasant patrols in rural Peru
. The rondas were especially active during the early 1980s in northern Peru and during the insurgency
by the Maoist
group Sendero Luminoso
(Shining Path) and by the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement
.
The rondas were originally formed as a protection force against theft, especially cattle rustling. Later, they evolved into a full-blown private justice system, complete with courts. They often provoked the ire of the Peruvian state.
When Shining Path leader Abimael Guzmán
launched his insurgency against the government in 1980, the Peruvian armed forces by and large ignored the threat at the very outset. Because the very core of the movement was land redistribution, the insurgency was confined to rural areas in the Andean regions inhabited by indigenous and Amerindian groups, and largely off the radar of the government. Peasants who did not support the revolutionary movement, therefore, created 'rondas campesinas'
It was only in 1982 that the Peruvian government began to take action in earnest. Military rule was established in 9 provinces after a state of emergency was declared in December of that year, and the Rondas Campesinas were employed by the military. The Peruvian military, their auxiliaries the Rondas Campesinas, and the Sendero Luminoso guerrillas all committed human rights
atrocities during the course of the conflict.
Even though the internal conflict has ended, the term Rondero is still used in everyday speech in Peru to signify a volunteer neighbourhood watchman either the countryside or in the sub-urbs of cities such as Lima
or Trujillo
. These days, the defining quality of the Rondero appears to be that he is unpaid, unlike the ubiquitous "Huachiman" and the uniformed security guard
s that are seen outside of homes and business all over 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....
. The rondas were especially active during the early 1980s in northern Peru and during the insurgency
Internal conflict in Peru
It has been estimated that nearly 70,000 people died in the internal conflict in Peru that started in 1980 and, although still ongoing, had greatly wound down by 2000. The principal actors in the war were the Shining Path , the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement and the government of Peru.A great...
by the Maoist
Maoism
Maoism, also known as the Mao Zedong Thought , is claimed by Maoists as an anti-Revisionist form of Marxist communist theory, derived from the teachings of the Chinese political leader Mao Zedong . Developed during the 1950s and 1960s, it was widely applied as the political and military guiding...
group Sendero Luminoso
Shining Path
Shining Path is a Maoist guerrilla terrorist organization in Peru. The group never refers to itself as "Shining Path", and as several other Peruvian groups, prefers to be called the "Communist Party of Peru" or "PCP-SL" in short...
(Shining Path) and by the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement
Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement
The Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement was a Marxist revolutionary group active in Peru from the early 1980s to 1997 and one of the main actors in the internal conflict in Peru...
.
The rondas were originally formed as a protection force against theft, especially cattle rustling. Later, they evolved into a full-blown private justice system, complete with courts. They often provoked the ire of the Peruvian state.
When Shining Path leader Abimael Guzmán
Abimael Guzmán
Manuel Rubén Abimael Guzmán Reynoso , also known by the nom de guerre Presidente Gonzalo , a former professor of philosophy, was the leader of the Shining Path during the Maoist insurgency known as the internal conflict in Peru...
launched his insurgency against the government in 1980, the Peruvian armed forces by and large ignored the threat at the very outset. Because the very core of the movement was land redistribution, the insurgency was confined to rural areas in the Andean regions inhabited by indigenous and Amerindian groups, and largely off the radar of the government. Peasants who did not support the revolutionary movement, therefore, created 'rondas campesinas'
It was only in 1982 that the Peruvian government began to take action in earnest. Military rule was established in 9 provinces after a state of emergency was declared in December of that year, and the Rondas Campesinas were employed by the military. The Peruvian military, their auxiliaries the Rondas Campesinas, and the Sendero Luminoso guerrillas all committed human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
atrocities during the course of the conflict.
Even though the internal conflict has ended, the term Rondero is still used in everyday speech in Peru to signify a volunteer neighbourhood watchman either the countryside or in the sub-urbs of cities such as Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
or Trujillo
Trujillo
The name Trujillo is shared by several different places:Colombia*Trujillo, Valle del Cauca, a municipality in the Valle del Cauca Department*Trujillo Province , part of the historic republic from 1819 to 1831Dominican Republic...
. These days, the defining quality of the Rondero appears to be that he is unpaid, unlike the ubiquitous "Huachiman" and the uniformed security guard
Security guard
A security guard is a person who is paid to protect property, assets, or people. Security guards are usually privately and formally employed personnel...
s that are seen outside of homes and business all over Peru.