Meeting to form Self-Defense Committee in Quero
Community members from Quero and neighboring annexes met on January 8, 1990 to agree to form a Self-Defense Committee and request military support in response to the violence of the Shining Path PCP that had devastated the area.
In January 1990, community members from the Quero annex, along with representatives from Santa Rosa de Huarmitá, San Roque de Huarmitá, Chaquicocha and Usibamba met on January 8, 1990 to agree to form a Self-Defense Committee and request support from the Army. This meeting took place in a context of intense violence by the Shining Path PCP in the area, which had murdered five people in Quero in November 1989. In a second meeting later, representatives from the annexes of Chala Alta and San Pedro de Sulcán joined the meeting. The Quero community had been severely affected by the violence, reducing its population from 210 villagers in 1990 to only 25 due to fear.