Population of Alto Huallaga during the armed conflict
In 1988, Alto Huallaga had a population of 200,000 inhabitants living in the midst of a complex conflict between the PCP-SL, drug traffickers and the armed forces. The civilian population suffered violence from multiple actors in a context of state absence and expansion of drug trafficking.
In 1988, the population of Alto Huallaga reached approximately 200,000 inhabitants, in a context of extreme violence generated by the simultaneous presence of the PCP-SL, drug traffickers and the armed forces. The area was experiencing social chaos as a result of the failure of state colonization projects, the expansion of coca cultivation and the growing influence of drug trafficking. The civilian population was caught between multiple violent actors: the abuses of drug traffickers, state repression against coca cultivation, and the incursion of the Shining Path, which took advantage of this context to establish bases and committees in several villages. State institutions had practically disappeared, leaving the population with no protection for their security and survival.