Ejercito del Pueblo Paraguayo (EPP) (Paraguay), GROUPS - AMERICAS - ACTIVE

Group Formation
The origins of the group date back to 1992, when a group of trainee priests - recently expelled from a Catholic seminary for their radical political views - established the Movimiento Monseñor Romero, with the aim of plotting a socialist revolution. The seminarians, led by Alcides Oviedo Brítez, had allegedly been radicalised by Juan Francisco Arrom Suhurt, a noted local left-wing activist whom Oviedo had met in 1990. The group devised a strategy comprising both military and political elements. The clandestine military campaign was to be fronted by the Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo (ERP), or Revolutionary Army of the People, led by Oviedo and his future wife, Carmen Villalba. Meanwhile, a parallel political campaign was allegedly to be fronted by the Partido Patria Libre (PPL), or Free Homeland Party, led by Arrom, which would operate legally within the country's system of "bourgeois democracy". The ERP subsequently re-branded itself as the Ejército del Pueblo Paraguayo (EPP), although Paraguayan media reports commonly use the EPP, ERP and PPL monikers largely interchangeably. Following the arrest of Oviedo and Villalba in July 2004, the EPP's day-to-day operations are led by Manuel Cristaldo Mieres alias 'Santiago', although a captured EPP cadre testified in May 2006 that Oviedo remained the group's overall commander, while Villalba continues to issue statements in the EPP's name from her prison cell. Other notable figures within the EPP include Osvaldo Villalba alias 'Alexander', a younger brother of Carmen Villalba; Magna Meza Martínez alias 'Leti' (the alleged partner of Mieres); Gabriel Zárate

Aims and Objectives
The EPP pursues a radical socialist political agenda that is broadly in line with the objectives of other left-wing militant groups operating in Latin America, and claims to be influenced by the Marxist revolutionary ideology of Che Guevara and Regis Debray. The group has previously stated that "radical and revolutionary changes [are] the only way to dignify the suffering and hunger of our poor people", and a particular objective of the group is to assist peasant farmers in achieving land reform. Although engaged in criminal activity such as kidnapping - which the Paraguayan government has used to try and discredit the organisation - the EPP has argued that such tactics represent a legitimate tool of political struggle.

The complete article appears in the following publication:
Publication Title	Jane's World Insurgency and Terrorism
Publication date	Jan 20, 2012
Section	GROUPS - AMERICAS - ACTIVE
Publication synopsis	Jane's World Insurgency and Terrorism profiles every significant terrorist and insurgent movement worldwide with 'at-a-glance' summaries of threat levels, status, founding date, aims and objectives, and leadership. In-depth threat analyses focus on recent attacks, claims of responsibility, targeting and tactics, personnel and recruitment, operational preparedness and limiting factors. The portfolio of profiles for active groups is deepened as new groups emerge to provide the greatest level of coverage and analysis possible. Regular updates of the most active groups allow you to keep track of terrorist activity globally and ensure that notable shifts in doctrine, leadership and capabilities are captured.
In addition to a detailed threat assessment, group profiles also address	Sources of funding Alliances Sources of weapons Organisation and command structure Political and religious affiliation Propaganda techniques Leader biographies Overview of campaign
Different sections provide in-depth detail covering	Groups - Africa - Active Groups - Africa - Dormant Groups - Americas - Active Groups - Americas - Dormant Groups - Asia - Active Groups - Asia - Dormant Groups - Europe - Active Groups - Europe - Dormant Groups - International - Active Groups - Middle East - Active Groups - Middle East - Dormant

You may purchase a full subscription to this service through the Jane’s Online Catalogue.

About Jane’s
With more than 100 years of experience, Jane’s, an IHS company, holds an unrivalled reputation for the reliability, accuracy and impartiality of our information and advice, trusted and relied upon by business, government and military decision-makers worldwide.

In the specialist fields of defence, security, public safety, transport and law enforcement, Jane’s intelligence is a ‘must have’ resource for our clients, who can trust our intelligence over that from any other open source.

© 2009 Jane's Information Group. All rights reserved | Terms of use | Jane's Privacy Policy