After nearly two years of relative peace in Peru, the Sendero Luminoso, or Shining Path, has resumed its terrorist activities in some parts of the country. On July 3, a geologist working for Minera Los Tapados, a subsidiary of Solitario Resources, was shot and killed.
The incident occurred outside of the northern town of Huamachuco, 100 miles south of Cajamarca. Javier Eduardo Aguilar, 28, and three members of his crew were returning to their field house after work when they were abducted by Shining Path guerillas. After being detained for several hours, three of the geologists were released and Aguilar was killed.
The Shining Path claimed credit for the murder in written notes directed at foreign mining companies.
Solitario President Christopher Herald says that, although the attack was planned, it is unlikely his company was singled out. “It was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Herald advises companies with interests in Peru to investigate the “red areas,” so designated because of their potential for terrorist activity. “There are still pockets of [dangerous] activity,” he warns.
Twelve members of the Shining Path are in custody in the Huamachuco region, although it is not yet known whether any of them are responsible for the recent attack.
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