No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsCrimeDeath toll climbs to 10 in Peru guerrilla attack on election eve

Death toll climbs to 10 in Peru guerrilla attack on election eve

LIMA, Peru — A weekend guerrilla attack targeting soldiers on the eve of Peru’s presidential elections killed 10 people, authorities said Monday, raising an earlier toll.

The army said in a statement that eight soldiers and two civilians were killed in Saturday’s attack in the jungles of central Peru.

The earlier death toll of seven rose after forces found the bodies of soldiers who had previously been reported as missing.

The army said guerrillas attacked a military convoy that was transporting election material and forces tasked with guarding polling places in the central Junín region.

Authorities blamed remnants of the Shining Path communist guerrilla group, which was largely crushed in the 1990s, but still has members hiding in the jungle.

The army said attackers first struck at Hatun Asha, located in a jungle zone considered a stronghold of the guerrillas and a major coca-producing area.

In a second attack, they targeted a military ship on the Apurímac River in the south, wounding two soldiers, authorities said.

President Ollanta Humala condemned the “demented” violence.

“Terrorism and those who collude with it have no place in our society or in our family,” he said on Saturday.

Some 23 million Peruvians voted Sunday for a new president and members of congress.

Conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori topped the ballot and must face a runoff vote against her center-right rival Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.

Keiko Fujimori’s father Alberto Fujimori waged a fierce conflict against the Shining Path when he was president from 1990 to 2000.

Around 69,000 people were killed between 1980 and 2000 in the conflict with the Shining Path, according to the country’s Truth and Reconciliation commission.

Authorities say remaining members of the guerrilla group have joined forces with drug gangs and remain active in remote mountains and jungles.

Peru is one of the biggest coca leaf and cocaine producers in the world, according to the United Nations and U.S. authorities.

Trending Now

Costa Rica President Confronts Calls to Strip Immunity

Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves denounced today an “attempted judicial coup” as he appeared before a congressional committee that must recommend to the full...

In Costa Rica, Rare White-Lipped Peccaries Still Survive

Today we meet the white-lipped peccary, a large animal that travels in large groups that has disappeared from a large part of its historical...

El Salvador Schools Enforce Military-Style Uniform Inspections

El Salvador's public schools will start enforcing daily inspections for students' uniforms and haircuts from August 20, as ordered by the new education minister,...

Costa Rica Issues Green Weather Alert as Heavy Rains Expected

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) has declared a green weather alert across Costa Rica due to the expected increase in rainfall over the coming...

Mexico Battles Wildfire Damage with Drone-Based Reforestation

Authorities in the state of Michoacán, in western Mexico, are using drones to scatter seeds from the air in an effort to reforest hundreds...

Former Zoo to Become Costa Rica’s First Urban Natural Park

Simón Bolívar Park, in San José, will be the first space in the country to become an Urban Natural Park. The project, led by...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica