Locumba uprising
| Locumba uprising | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theInternal conflict in Peru | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
 Government of Peru |
 Ethnocacerists | ||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
|
Alberto Fujimori Vladimiro Montesinos |
Ollanta Humala Antauro Humala | ||||
| Units involved | |||||
| Peruvian Army | Sixth Armored Division | ||||
| Strength | |||||
| 500+ | 51–60 | ||||
TheLocumba uprising,also calledLocumbazo,was a military uprising that took place inLocumba,Peru, and theToquepala mineon Sunday, 29 October 2000.[1]
Background[edit]
Encouraged by his wife,[2]Ollanta Humala,aLt. Colin thePeruvian military,along with 51, 57 or 60[3]soldiers of the Sixth Armored Division out of the Arica barracks left the barracks under the pretext of a campaign march or patrol inAlto de la Alianza.After his brother,Antauro Humalajoined, he revealed his plans to rebel against the government which caused many soldiers to feel tricked or deceived.[4]Carlos Bardales Angulo, thebrigadier generalwho was head of the Sixth Armored Division confronted the soldiers and was taken hostage. Then the group continued to theToquepala mineand they captured it the following morning. They remained in control of the mine for seven hours until fleeing to the mountains. Ollanta requested food, vehicle fuel and medicine for men and took four workers hostage (a driver, two security personnel and an electrician).[5]During his time in the mine, he calledRPP radiowhere he condemned the election as fraudulent and said:[3]
I will lay down my arms when the chain of command is legitimate and there is a president who has been truly elected by the people to whom I would swear subordination and valor.
— Lt. Col. Ollanta Humala, Either said in a fax to Reuters addressed to Peru, or said in an RPP interview
The group then left and started travelling by bus and truck to a military garrison nearPuno,although many had abandoned.[6][7]By the end of the day on Monday, only seven or eight mutineers remained at large in the mountains.[8]The then president,Alberto Fujimorifled the country three weeks after the uprising and a new transitional government was instituted. The brothers turned themselves in on 10 December, after seeing the country had been normalized. They were tried for insubordination but pardoned along with all who participated in the revolt. The uprising marked the beginning of Ollanta's career which later led to his presidency in 2011.[9]
Support[edit]
During the revolt, Humala called on Peruvian "patriots" to join him in the rebellion, and around 300 former soldiers led by his brother Antauro answered his call and were reported to have been in a convoy attempting to join up with Humala. The revolt gained some sympathy from the Peruvian populace with the influential opposition newspaperLa Repúblicacalling him "valiant and decisive, unlike most in Peru". The newspaper also had many letters sent in by readers with accolades to Ollanta and his men.[10]
Montesinos' escape[edit]
On the day of the uprising, after hiding for months in the country, Peru's de facto leader,Vladimiro Montesinosleft Peru at the Port ofCallaoon his boatKarisma.[11]While sailing away from Peru, he made four phone calls to Fort Arica, one at 10:52am and the other three after 2:00pm.[4]On 19 May 2006, an audio tape leaked on which Montesinos says the uprising was a cover for his escape:
Fue una farsa, fue una operación de engaño y una manipulación. Ollanta Humala Tasso es un falso valor. Ante esto es necesario relatar los hechos acaecidos en Locumba y la relación con mi salida del país en octubre del año 2000.
transl. It was a farce, it was an operation of deceit and manipulation. Ollanta Humala Tasso is a false value/courage. In view of this, it is necessary to relate the events that took place in Locumba and the relationship with my departure from the country in October 2000.— Full transcription fromEl Comercio[12]
Later that night at a press conference, Humala accused Montesinos of being in collusion withAlan Garcia'sAprista Party.[13]
Others have also claimed the uprising was a cover for the escape. During a congressional hearing, César Mojovich, a retiredPNPcommander and former Toquepala commissioner, said thatAntauroarrived to Fort Arica in a helicopter two days before the uprising and met with Carlos Bardales Angulo as well as thecolonelof the PNP, that same night.[14]
El general Bardales, junto a Ollanta y Antauro Humala se reunieron antes del levantamiento. Bardales nunca fue secuestrado, sino que coordinó antes, durante y después del supuesto levantamiento. El secuestrado fue al alcance de los secuestradores.
transl. General Bardales, together with Ollanta and Antauro Humala met before the uprising. Bardales was never kidnapped, but coordinated before, during and after the alleged uprising. The kidnapped person was within reach of the kidnappers.— César Mojovich,[15]
Mojovich also said that once Bardales was "released", he met inMoqueguawith General Abraham Cano, who was in charge of searching for the insurgents.
References[edit]
- ^"Peruvian soldiers seize mining town".The Guardian.30 October 2000.ISSN0261-3077.Archivedfrom the original on 4 May 2023.Retrieved4 May2023.
- ^"*Historia de dos aventureros".detrasdelacortina.pe.Archivedfrom the original on 8 May 2023.Retrieved8 May2023.
- ^abKrauss, Clifford."Peruvian Army Officer Declares Mutiny, President Urged to Quit"(PDF).The UCSD Guardian.p. 9.Archived(PDF)from the original on 4 May 2023.Retrieved4 May2023.
- ^ab"Montesinos:" Levantamiento de Locumba facilitó mi fuga del país "| POLITICA".Correo(in Spanish). 23 May 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 4 May 2023.Retrieved4 May2023.
- ^"Peruvian army rebels still on run, but general reported rescued".The Irish Times.Archivedfrom the original on 4 May 2023.Retrieved4 May2023.
- ^"Renegade army colonel siezes [sic] Peruvian mining town".UPI.Retrieved4 May2023.
- ^Webber, Jude (29 October 2000)."Peruvian Soldiers Take Over Mining Town".ABC News.Archivedfrom the original on 4 May 2023.Retrieved4 May2023.
- ^Jones, Patrice M. (31 October 2000)."Military Unit's Uprising Squelched, Peru Says".Chicago Tribune.Archivedfrom the original on 4 May 2023.Retrieved4 May2023.
- ^"15 años del 'Locumbazo': lo que debes saber del levantamiento en armas de Ollanta Humala".canaln.pe.Canal N. 30 October 2015.Retrieved4 May2023.
- ^"Bid to end Peru rebellion peacefully".BBC News.2 November 2000.Archivedfrom the original on 4 May 2023.Retrieved4 May2023.
- ^"Peru is still asking where fugitive spymaster is hiding".Tampa Bay Times.Archivedfrom the original on 8 May 2023.Retrieved6 May2023.
- ^"Ollanta Humala habría" recolectado "a personeros para re-reelección de Fujimori".El Comercio.Archivedfrom the original on 27 March 2008.Retrieved8 May2023.
- ^"Peru Ex-Spy Chief Says Candidate for President Aided His Escape".The New York Times.Associated Press. 21 May 2006.ISSN0362-4331.Archivedfrom the original on 8 May 2023.Retrieved8 May2023.
- ^"Andina – Agencia Peruana de Noticias –".portal.andina.pe.Archivedfrom the original on 12 May 2023.Retrieved11 May2023.
- ^"Dangerous Liaisons III: Ollanta Humala's Relations with the Montesinos Mafia at Peru Election 2006".Archivedfrom the original on 11 May 2023.Retrieved11 May2023.
