Shining Path's Strategic Shift and the Rise of Campesino Resistance
In 1990, Abimael Guzmán, leader of the Shining Path (PCP-SL), declared the completion of the 'strategic defensive' phase of their prolonged war, aiming to focus subversive actions in Lima due to setbacks in rural areas. The rise of 'rondas campesinas' and 'comités de autodefensa' marked a significant peasant resistance against the Shining Path, as rural communities allied with the military to combat the insurgency. This shift was influenced by the social crisis and the perceived weakening of the Peruvian state, alongside the belief that a state collapse could lead to foreign intervention, transforming the conflict into a 'national salvation war.'
Abimael Guzmán incorporó a miles de campesinos en estructuras militares del PCP-SL para generar reacciones del Estado. Sin embargo, el costo humano y la represión indiscriminada resultante no quebrantaron la resistencia campesina. A partir de 1988-89, los campesinos se organizaron en rondas campesinas y comités de autodefensa a nivel nacional para enfrentar al PCP-SL, estableciendo alianzas con militares. Esta contraofensiva campesina masiva dejó empantanado el trabajo rural de Sendero Luminoso, obligando a Guzmán a reorientar su acción hacia Lima ante el fracaso en el campo.