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The Paraguayan People’s Army insurgency, also named the EPP rebellion (from the group's name in Spanish: Ejército del Pueblo Paraguayo), is an ongoing small-scale guerrilla campaign in Northern Paraguay. From 2005 until the summer of 2014, the EPP campaign had resulted in at least 50 deaths in total, the majority of them being local ranchers and police officers, along with several insurgents. During that same period the group perpetrated 28 kidnappings for ransom and a total of 85 "violent acts".〔 The insurgency began in 2005, after several members of the Partido Patria Libre formed the Paraguayan People’s Army. The Government of Paraguay suspects the EPP has ties to the Colombian rebel group FARC.〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Paraguay on alert for FARC-EPP ties (Dialogo) )〕 In 2014, a subgroup of EPP splintered to create the Armed Farmers Group (ACA), which has also already engaged in fighting the Paraguayan government. ==Background== The 1990 collapse of the Stroessner dictatorship in Paraguay, fueled the rapid development of previously banned, left wing political groups. At the same year, current EPP leader Oviedo Britez, enrolled into the theology faculty of the Catholic University of Asuncion. In 1992, Britez was expelled from the theology study course, becoming increasingly interested in political change through revolutionary armed struggle. Britez, Juan Arrom Suhurt and Britez's fiance Carmen Villalba soon created the core of Partido Patria Libre, Paraguayan People's Army's precursor.〔 Between 1995 - 1996, Britez and Villalba allegedly received military training from Chile's, Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front.〔 In 1997, MPL carried its first act of expropriation by unsuccessfully attempting to carry a bank robbery in the town of Choré. All six robbers were detained by a local police unit, later receiving a 3-year sentence. Following the release of its members in early 2000, MPL launched a recruiting campaign and adopted kidnapping as its main source of funds.〔 Its first significant action was the 2001 kidnapping of María Edith Bordón de Debernardi. Her husband, businessman Antonio Debernardi, paid US$1 million for her release.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=FARC-EPP links )〕 On 2 July 2004, police officers captured Oviedo Britez and Carmen Villalba in Ñemby, on the outskirts of Asunción. A search of the couple's house in the city of San Lorenzo, followed the arrest, intelligence materials and operating manuals were seized. Following Britez's and Villalba's detention, Osmar Martínez and Osvaldo Villalba became EPP's new field commanders.〔 In 2004, the group kidnapped Cecilia Cubas, the daughter of the former president of Paraguay Raúl Cubas. Despite receiving a ransom of US$300,000, the kidnappers killed Cubas.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Cubas Kidnapping )〕 After the PPL was taken apart by security forces in 2005, several members decided to form a new group with which to continue the armed struggle, adopting its current name in 2008.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=EPP Origins )〕 EPP's ideology was first outlined in a book called "Francist 21st Century Revolution", written by Britez in prison. The book is named after Jose Rodriguez de Francia, a dictator who ruled over Paraguay between 1814 - 1841, and incorporates elements of Bolivarianism and Marxism–Leninism.〔 The majority of EPP's members reportedly belong to eight families.Despite its limited size, EPP enjoys the support of the local population in the areas that it controls.〔 Apart from the use of abductions EPP also engaged in cattle raiding, extortion, robberies and drug trade operations. The later was facilitated with the aid of FARC, although EPP initially only extorted drug producers, reports indicate the presence of EPP's own marijuana plantations. An EPP communique denied any involvement in the drug trade, accusing the government of propaganda.〔 In August 2014, EPP agents Albino Larrea and Alfredo Jara Larrea, formed a splinter faction known as ACA. ACA's initial strength amounted to 13 fighters, as many as 5 ACA rebels were allegedly killed in clashes with security forces in September 2014.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Paraguayan People's Army insurgency」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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