Operations Chavín de Huántar and Cerco: Milestones of Military's Victory against Terrorism

Authors

Keywords:

terrorism, national security, MRTA, PCP-SL, narrative warfare, hybrid threats

Abstract

This article analyzes the strategic significance of neutralizing the military capabilities of the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) and the Communist Party of Peru–Shining Path (PCP-SL), an event that consolidated the Peruvian state's military victory over terrorism and brought an end to the armed phase on a national scale. It is argued that, although the terrorist phenomenon was defeated militarily, the conflict did not end but gave way to a phase of unconventional confrontation, characterized by political, ideological, legal, cultural, and narrative disputes driven by ideological remnants and affiliated networks. The research adopts a qualitative strategic-analytical approach, grounded in the historical study of Operations "Chavín de Huántar" (1997) and "Cerco" (1999), as well as in the strategic-doctrinal analysis of the subsequent period, complemented by the authors' operational experience. The results confirm that the defeat of terrorism was decisive on the military front, as it dismantled its political-military leadership and irreversibly degraded its capacity for strategic action. However, the analysis shows that the absence of a comprehensive post-conflict strategy facilitated the ideological reorganization of radicalism, its convergence with illicit economies, and the emergence of hybrid threats. It is concluded that military victory must be consolidated through a comprehensive state response aimed at strengthening institutions, historical memory, and national security.

Author Biographies

  • Oscar Luis Calle Pérez, Centro de Estudios Estratégicos del Ejército del Perú (CEEEP)

    Major General of the Peruvian Army (EP), in the Infantry Branch, a member of the Special Forces (FF. EE.), and a specialist in Command, with extensive experience in strategic planning, operational leadership, intelligence, military education, and international cooperation—areas closely linked to the research and analysis priorities of the Peruvian Army’s Center for Strategic Studies (CEEEP). Academically, he holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Alas Peruanas University (UAP), a Master’s degree in Finance from EADA Business School (Spain), and Master’s degrees in Public Management and Business Administration, with a concentration in General Management, from ESAN University; he also completed a Master’s degree in Military Sciences at the Army War College – Graduate School (ESGE-EPG). His professional development includes the Peruvian Army’s High Command Course and certificate programs in Defense Policy, Intelligence, National Defense and Security, Human Resources Management, and Finance. His professional development includes the Peruvian Army High Command Course and certificate programs in Defense Policy, Intelligence, Defense and National Security, Human Resources Management, and Finance—studies that strengthen his capacity for comprehensive threat analysis, the formulation of defense strategies, and the coordination of security, governance, and development. Throughout his career, he has held positions of high responsibility in operational commands, intelligence agencies, military educational institutions, and international representative bodies, notably serving as Head of the Peruvian Delegation to the Inter-American Defense Board of the Organization of American States (OAS). Among these responsibilities, the positions of Commander of the Joint Intelligence and Special Operations Command (CIOEC) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the VRAEM Special Command (CE-VRAEM) stand out, roles from which he contributed to the planning and conduct of operations against threats to national security. His operational experience includes participation in counterterrorism operations in the Huallaga theater of operations and in the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro river valleys (VRAEM), decisive theaters in the Peruvian State’s response to this threat. In the field of military training, he directed the Army’s Infantry School and Parachute School, also serving as academic deputy director of the Chorrillos Military Academy (EMCH), where he contributed to the doctrinal and professional training of new generations of officers. His operational career includes his participation as a distinguished defender of the homeland during the Upper Cenepa Conflict (1995) and as a distinguished defender of democracy in the “Chavín de Huántar” Hostage Rescue Operation, landmark events in the defense of national sovereignty and in the Peruvian government’s fight against terrorism. In recognition of his outstanding work, he has been awarded the Peruvian Cross of Military Merit in its various grades, the Francisco Bolognesi Military Order in the rank of Knight, and the War Cross for Military Valor. He currently serves as Commander General of the II Army Division and the Central Operational Command (COC).

  • Manolo Eduardo Villagra, Centro de Altos Estudios Nacionales – Escuela de Posgrado (CAEN-EPG)

    Active-duty Colonel in the Peruvian Army (EP). He holds an MBA with a concentration in General Management from ESAN University, a Master's degree in Finance from EADA Business School (Spain), and Master's degrees in Public Management and in Military Sciences at the Army War College Graduate School (ESGE-EPG). He holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Alas Peruanas University (UAP). His professional development includes the Peruvian Army High Command Course and certificate programs in Defense Policy, Intelligence, Defense and National Security, Human Resources Management, and Finance—studies that strengthen his capacity for comprehensive threat analysis, the formulation of defense strategies, and the coordination of security, governance, and development. Throughout his career, he has held positions of high responsibility in operational commands, intelligence agencies, military educational institutions, and international representative bodies, notably serving as Head of the Peruvian Delegation to the Inter-American Defense Board of the Organization of American States (OAS). Among these responsibilities, the positions of Commander of the Joint Intelligence and Special Operations Command (CIOEC) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the VRAEM Special Command (CE-VRAEM) stand out, roles from which he contributed to the planning and conduct of operations against threats to national security. His operational experience includes participation in counterterrorism operations in the Huallaga theater of operations and in the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro river valleys (VRAEM), decisive theaters in the Peruvian State's response to this threat. The combination of operational experience and research has enabled him to analyze and understand national security issues firsthand in various strategic areas of the country, particularly in zones affected by illegal economies, cross-border dynamics, and hybrid threats. In the field of strategic research, he has conducted studies on security issues in Putumayo and other border areas, as well as geopolitical research on the strategic dynamics that affect the stability of the national territory. In the operational field, he participated in counterterrorism operations in the Upper Huallaga (2002–2005) and in the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro River Valley (VRAEM) (2013–2014), as well as in military actions against illegal mining in Madre de Dios (2019). He also served as a Ground Operations Officer on the Joint Staff of the VRAEM Special Command (2023). During 2024 and 2025, he served in the Puno region, a strategic area characterized by its cross-border dynamics, the presence of illegal economies, and the sociocultural complexity of the Peruvian highlands. He is currently serving at the Headquarters of the II Army Division in the city of Lima.

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Published

2026-04-17

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026): January to March

Section

Artículos

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