Paraguayan People's Army

The Paraguayan People’s Army (Spanish: Ejército del Pueblo Paraguayo, EPP) is a communist[3] guerrilla movement that has staged a number of armed operations, including bombings, arson attacks, shootings and kidnappings as part of an organized insurgency. They operate in northern Paraguay, with most incidents occurring in Concepción Department, as well as the neighboring departments of Canindeyú and San Pedro. The EPP are believed to number 50-80 members.[4]

Paraguayan People's Army
Ejército del Pueblo Paraguayo
LeadersOsvaldo Villalba

Manuel Cristaldo Mieres
Magna Meza
Carmen Villalba

Osmar Martínez †
Dates of operation1 March 2008 — present
MotivesOverthrow the Paraguayan government and establish a socialist State
HeadquartersHorqueta
Active regions Paraguay
IdeologyMarxism-Leninism
Internationalism
Environmentalism
Political positionFar-left
StatusActive
Size150-200 fighters
Allies FARC (alleged)
Armed Peasant Association
Opponents Paraguay
 Colombia
 United States
Designated as a terrorist group by Paraguay
Colours
  Green
  Red
Banner

As of March 2012, the group was suspected of carrying out 27 separate operations, with more than half of them occurring after January 2011. These incidents resulted in the deaths of at least 16 people — 9 civilians and 7 police officers.[5] By December 2013, the insurgency resulted in killing of at least 33 civilians and police officers,[6] with an unknown number of killed EPP operatives.[6] By mid 2020, fatalities from the insurgency had surpassed 70, most of them civilians and police.

Origins

The EPP began as an offshoot of another radical fringe group, the Free Homeland Party (Partido Patria Libre – PPL). After the PPL was taken apart by police in 2005, several members decided to form a new group with which to continue the armed struggle.[7]

Timeline
Alcides Oviedo Brítez, current EPP leader.
Main article: Insurgency in Paraguay

By December 2013, the insurgency resulted in killing of at least 33 civilians and police officers,[6] with an unknown number of killed EPP operatives. Two EPP operatives were killed in early April 2014, including the third in command in EPP; one Paraguayan soldier was also killed.[8]

On August 27, 2016, the insurgents ambushed a mobile patrol of the Paraguayan army with a roadside bomb and automatic weapons, killing one officer and eight non-commissioned officers. The guerrillas stole their M-4 carbines and a light machine gun, along with 1,500 round of ammunitions. The incident took place near the village of Arroyito, east of Concepción.[9]

On 2 September, 2020, the Paraguayan Army launched an assault on a large EPP camp near Yby Yaú, 70 km northeast of Concepción, killing a number of militants, among them two female teenagers, both of them Argentine residents. A dozen EPP members fled to the jungle, while Paraguayan soldiers confiscated a number of weapons and equipment. A Paraguayan officer was wounded.[10][11]

Political views

The EPP criticized the government of Fernando Lugo, saying that he ignored the country's social problems and would not implement real land reform.[12] In 2012, the EPP declared war on Federico Franco's cabinet, describing the Impeachment of Fernando Lugo as a "white collar thief". The Paraguayan state describes the group as a terrorist organization.

It is known that at least one key FARC leader, Orley Jurado Palomino, has gone to Paraguay to provide training, advice and operational leadership to the insurgent group.[13] It is also unclear if the EPP has ties with some major Brazilian drug trafficking organizations, like the First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital – PCC) and Red Command or Comando Vermelho which are known to have a significant presence in northern Paraguay.[14]

Kidnappings

Along with armed raids, arson attacks and bombings, the group has also been accused of the kidnapping and murder of Cecilia Cubas, the daughter of former President of Paraguay Raúl Cubas Grau, as well as the abduction of Fidel Zavala, who was freed on January 17, 2010, after 94 days in captivity.[5] On 11 September 2020 the Paraguayan government confirmed that former vice president Óscar Denis and one of his employees were kidnapped by members of the EPP not far from the site of the guerrilla camp assaulted by the army on 2 September. The pick-up vehicle the two men were riding on was found abandoned with propaganda leaftlefts scattered around.[15]

References
  1. "EPP se burla de Cartes al ofrecer recompensa" (in Spanish). Ultima Hora. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  2. "EPP admite error en secuestro de Wiebe y exige repartir víveres para liberarlo - Edicion Impresa - ABC Color" (in Spanish). Color ABC. 20 January 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  3. ultimahora.com. "Paraguay: Ejército Paraguayo del Pueblo ya incursiona militarmente". ultimahora.com. Retrieved 2014-09-02.
  4. Infosurhoy.com. "Paraguay: Government increases presence to combat EPP". Infosurhoy. Archived from the original on 2014-04-06. Retrieved 2014-05-19.
  5. Ramsey, Geoffrey (March 6, 2012). "Tracking the Rise of Paraguay's Rebel Army". In Sight Crime.
  6. "The EPP has now killed 33 people, including police officers and civilians, since 2005, the government said."
  7. Díaz, Natalia Ruiz (May 4, 2010). "Paraguay: Controversy Over Troop Deployment". ¡Presente!. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  8. "Paraguay Lauds Heavy Blow to EPP After Leader's Killing - InSight Crime | Organized Crime in the Americas". InSight Crime. 2014-04-03. Retrieved 2014-05-19.
  9. Color, ABC. "El atentado más cruel del EPP en 19 años - Edicion Impresa - ABC Color" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  10. "Paraguay desmantela uno de los principales bastiones de la guerrilla del EPP". www.lanacion.com.ar (in Spanish). 2020-09-03. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  11. "Two women who make up the EPP were killed in the confrontation in Yby Yaú". Latest News, Breaking News, Top News Headlines. 2020-09-03. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  12. Rojas, Freddy (November 12, 2008). "Anuncian ocupaciones violentas en nombre del Ejército del Pueblo Paraguayo". ABC Digital (in Spanish). Archived from the original on April 3, 2012.
  13. Escurra, Marta (March 16, 2010). "Paraguayan guerrillas were trained by the FARC". infosurhoy.com.
  14. Barrios, Hugo (April 12, 2010). "Paraguay ups counter-narcotics effort on border with Brazil". infosurhoy.com.
  15. "Paraguay: el gobierno confirmó que el grupo EPP está detrás del secuestro del ex vicepresidente Denis". El Cronista (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-09-12.
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