The Paraguayan People’s Army (EPP)

 

The Paraguayan People’s Army (EPP) is one of the most obscure guerilla movements in the world. This is because it does not have the fame or infamy of other radical political movements that have been running guerilla wars across Latin America for decades, including FARC in Colombia (McDermott, 2015). It is critical to note that despite its officially being considered to have begun in 2005, this movement seems to have had even earlier origins, with some speculation being that it was started by a groups of trainee priests who were expelled from a seminary following their pursuit of radical views that went contrary from the official position of the church. These individuals started the Movimiento Monseñor Romero in 1992 whose major aim was to ensure that there was the establishment of a socialist revolution in Paraguay as a means of dealing with the considerable poverty and inequality that plagued the society at the time (Nickson, 2019). Other reports state that the EPP is a fairly recent enterprise comprised of criminal elements that have been accused of targeting police and military personnel. However, while this may be the case, it is essential to consider that there is general agreement that the EPP was responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Cecilia Cubas, the daughter of a former president of Paraguay. While this may be the case, the EPP presents itself as a movement made up of peasants whose major aim is to ensure that there is the creation of a revolution that promotes the interests of the poor. However, this organization has been accused of having links to other insurgent groups in the region, including FARC, with the Paraguayan government claiming that FARC has been responsible for the provision of training. This paper considers the EPP and the way that it has managed to undertake its activities in a manner that advances its agenda as well as to determine whether or not it can be considered a terrorist organization.

Focus

The rise of the EPP is one of the most significant because of the way that it has become prominent in the 21^st century. This is at a time when similar insurgencies in the Latin American region, including FARC, have wound down their operations as they seek to ensure that they attain a level of legitimacy through participation in the political system. However, one of the questions that are raised concerning the EPP is the way that the Paraguayan government will handle this insurgency, especially when one considers that this organization has risen at a very different time which requires an approach that completely deviates from the conventional counterinsurgency operations that have been used against similar groups for decades. Furthermore, it is pertinent to note that the Paraguayan government has sought to bring down the EPP through conventional means, which has included the deployment of troops to those areas that are most affected by its activities. However, this raises a number of issues, including the potential of civil rights being abused, especially when one considers that the people of Paraguay have in general had a highly problematic relationship with the military. This is because of the numerous dictatorships that have come up in the country, which have been backed by the military and have caused numerous human rights abuses over the decades.

The second issue which has to be considered is the political ideology of the EPP and how it perceives itself and its actions. One of the most significant aspects of this organization is that it claims to pursue a political ideology that is left-leaning, specifically focusing on a socialist or communist perspective. Among its major inspirations are both national and international leftist heroes such as Che Guevara, whose approach to tackling inequality they claim to pursue. If the latter is true, it would make the EPP one of the most violent organizations in modern Latin America that claims to have a political ideology because since the end of the Cold War, there was a waning of the strength of such organizations as the appeal of communism saw a significant reduction. In an era where Latin America has seen the rise to prominence of drug cartels, especially in Central America, the rise of an organization that essentially seeks to make sure that there is the advancement of the interests of a leftist ideology is one that can be considered a highly momentous development. This is because it has allowed for a reevaluation of insurgencies in Latin America and whether or not they can be considered to be political activities or acts of terrorism.

Literature Review

The EPP is an organization that has become well known not only in Paraguay, but also in neighboring countries, with the security agencies of the latter seeing it as a potential risk that cannot be ignored. It has focused most of its attention on the kidnapping of wealthy members of Paraguayan society and asking for ransoms (Sanchez & Illingworth, 2017). Furthermore, it has also been accused of attacking the country’s security forces, but while this has been the case, it is noteworthy that it has not been as extensive as the kidnappings. One of the most prominent victims of the EPP was Fidel Zavala, an individual that was held by this organization for nearly a hundred days prior to being released on 17^th January 2010 (Artolachipe, 2012). However, despite the small scale of its operations, it is noteworthy that this organization has the potential of becoming a major threat to the establishment in Paraguay, especially when one considers the rapid advancements that have been made in the 21^st century that allow such organizations to thrive. This organization has participated in a diversity of activities that range from kidnappings to murders, including the brutal murder of the daughter of the former Paraguayan president Raul Cubas, Cecilia Cubas.

In order to tackle this new menace, the Paraguayan government has deployed thousands of soldiers as well as established a permanent state of emergency in the region where the EPP conducts its operations (Marsteintredet et al., 2013). Despite these efforts, the government has been unable to bring this small insurgency under control and instead, its operations seem to have expanded significantly to such an extent that the farming estates of the rich are increasingly being targeted. The Paraguayan twist of the Marxist, Leninist, and Guevarist ideology that the EPP follows is significant because it shows an organization that is essentially seeking out an identity for itself. It further allows it room for considerable improvement and expansion of its activities, as seen through the way that it has the potential for future growth and the attainment of influence over society. One of the most significant developments concerning this organization took place following the killing of Cecilia Cubas when Cristobal Olazar became a police informant in 2004 (Blair, 2015). Olazar had been a comrade of the founders of the EPP and as such proved invaluable in the provision of information concerning the organization and its ideology. It provided a means through which to ensure that there was the promotion of a scenario where there was a greater understanding of the EPP by the security forces, especially concerning its leadership.

Discussion

The EPP is an organization that considers itself to be a revolutionary one in the lines of FARC and others within the region. This has been seen through the ideology that it pursues as well as its activities, which have more often than not targeted the wealthy in Paraguayan society (McDermott, 2015). the latter has not been coincidental because of the belief by the leadership of this organization that it is the wealthy classes which are responsible for the poverty that it experienced by the indigenous people as well as the campesinos in the country. Thus, the EPP targets the wealthy as a means of pressuring them to reconsider their position in society and undertake the improvement of the lives of the poorer classes; an objective that seems to be its major priority. This has been seen through the way that it has sought to make sure that among the demands that it makes is the distribution of food and other basics to poor people by the families of the wealthy that have been kidnapped.

As has been seen in the literature above, the EPP has made its major focus attacking the security forces of Paraguay as well as the kidnapping of the wealthy in society. These two main targets are of significance because they are considered the root cause of the social and economic problems that a majority of Paraguayans faces. This is especially the case when one considers that it is the security forces’ support for the wealthy that has made possible the rise and continued dominance of the latter in the politics of the nation. Furthermore, the support that the security forces provided the various dictatorships in the country created an environment within which a small class of individuals was able to accumulate wealth and attain dominance over critical national resources while the rest of society languished in society. Thus, the EPP essentially blames the wealthy for the problems that plague Paraguayan society and because of this, they and their backers have become the main targets of its activities.

Conclusion

The EPP has risen during a period when organizations with similar ideologies have essentially lost a considerable part of their support in society. the relative success that it enjoys has come about because of the highly secretive manner it conducts its activities to such an extent that it has been able to make sure that it outmaneuvers the Paraguayan security forces in the latter’s counterinsurgency efforts. Thus, despite the military crackdown that has come about following the deployment of thousands of troops to the north of the country where the EPP is most prevalent, its activities seem to have continued without interruption, to such an extent that rather than losing support, this organization has essentially divided Paraguayan society. It is yet to be seen how the counterinsurgency efforts of the Paraguayan government will evolve as they tackle this new challenge to the status quo.