• Peruvians remember victims killed during Shining Path insurgency of 80s and 90s

    Martin Mejia / AP

    Two men plant rosebushes in memory of the victims of the two-decade fight between the military and Shining Path rebels, at a memorial in Lima, Peru, on Aug. 28. Between 1980 and 2000 tens of thousands of Peruvians died during the Maoist-inspired Shining Path insurgency.

    Enrique Castro-Mendivil / Reuters

    A relative of victims murdered during the guerrilla war in the Andes in the 80s and 90s, attends a commemorative ceremony in downtown Lima on Aug. 28. Peruvians affected by the war held a ceremony and marched in the capital Lima on the 9th anniversary of the adoption of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report, to urge the government to set aside state cash to compensate victims of political violence committed in the 1980s and 1990s.

    Martin Mejia / AP

    A woman holds a photo of her dead son during a memorial honoring the victims of the two-decade fight between the military and Shining Path rebels in Lima, Peru, on Aug. 28. Between 1980 and 2000, tens of thousands of Peruvians died during the Maoist-inspired Shining Path insurgency.

    Martin Mejia / AP

    Ashaninkas Indians attend a memorial honoring the victims of the two-decade fight between the military and Shining Path rebels in Lima, Peru, on Aug. 28. Between 1980 and 2000 tens of thousands of Peruvians died during the Maoist-inspired Shining Path insurgency.

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  • Martin Mejia / AP

    One of the Shining Path's top leaders, 'Comrade Artemio', whose given name is Florindo "Juan" Flores, is carried on a stretcher upon his arrival to a police base in Lima, Peru, on Feb. 12, 2012.

    Peru captures wounded Shining Path rebel leader Artemio

    Reuters reports — The most important leader of Peru's leftist Shining Path insurgency has been captured by security forces after being shot in a remote jungle rife with drug trafficking, President Ollanta Humala said on Sunday, announcing his first major victory against what remains of the rebel group.

    Artemio, the nom de guerre of Florindo Eleuterio Flores, was seriously wounded and receiving medical attention, Humala said.

    In December, the reclusive Artemio emerged briefly from hiding to ask the government for a truce and for amnesty after years of fighting. His pleas were rejected and government officials said they would hunt him down. Read the full story.

  • Calling for a truce, Shining Path guerrilla leader shows his face for first time

    IDL-Reporteros via EPA

    'Comrade Artemio', leader of the remainder of the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) group, speaking with the press in the Huallaga river valley, Peru, on Dec. 1, 2011.

    By David R Arnott, NBC News

    Journalists working with Peru's Legal Defense Institute (IDL) and The Guardian traveled deep into Peru's Amazon jungle to conduct a rare interview with 'Comrade Artemio', the most senior leader of the notorious Shining Path guerrilla group to remain at large.

    The Guardian's Dan Collyns, who describes Artemio as "a folk legend: loathed and respected in equal measure," says that this is the first time that Artemio has agreed to allow his face to be shown. 

    The U.S. State Department is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest or capture. 

    IDL-Reporteros via Reuters

    'Comrade Artemio', left, one of the top leaders of Peru's Shining Path guerrilla movement, talks to his troops at a camp in the Huallaga valley in the Amazon jungle of Peru on Dec. 2, 2011.

    The Associated Press reports from LIMA, Peru:

     One of two remaining leaders of the Shining Path guerrilla group in Peru said his troops will cease attacks and is calling for a truce to start peace negotiations with the government.

    Known as Comrade Artemio, Jose Flores Hala told journalists Friday in his jungle hideout that he "isn't going to deny" that the government won.

    Flores said his roughly 150 guerrillas wouldn't demobilize without a "process of frank and real negotiations." But, he told reporters, "We have no intention to brandish arms of war in armed struggle."

    The Shining Path has shrunk since its 1980s heyday when it controlled large swaths of the Peruvian countryside. Troops captured leader Abimael Guzman in 1992 and his successor Comrade Feliciano in 1999. Read the full story.