Chavez moves into Peru

For some time now, we have been reporting the interventions of Hugo Chavez into several countries in Latin America such as Peru, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Colombia and Ecuador.  In July and August 2007 the staff of The Americas Report published two articles regarding this matter: Chavez’s dangerous intervention in Peru and Peru’s reaction against Venezuelan intervention by Nicole M. Ferrand.

This past February, we followed a story regarding protests that were occurring in Cuzco, Peru which resulted in that beautiful city losing its status as one of the twelve venues for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) meetings. This was due to violent clashes between the police and some groups of farmers believed to have been promoted by former Presidential Candidate, Ollanta Humala, and financed by Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez. (Please read The Americas Report from February 28, 2008 titled: "Danger in the Region: Who’s behind the Protests in Peru." By Nicole M. Ferrand).

[More]As Luis Fleischman pointed out last week: "Hugo Chavez is the leader of a new plan that goes beyond Venezuela. He advocates not merely socialism but also a totalitarian project. This totalitarian vision is not only aimed at Venezuela but also towards as many Latin American countries as possible, forming alliances with regimes that have mastered the art of violence." (Please read "The Americas Report March 27, 2008 – The US must be able to Identify and support forces of Democracy and geo-political stability in Latin America. By Luis Fleischman.) Here is what is happening in Peru: recent evidence has come to light showing the Chavez – Humala menace is more dangerous than previously thought.

What are the "Houses of ALBA?"

The Bolivarian Alternative for Latin America (ALBA) is a joint Venezuelan-Cuban initiative based on, according to its founders, "fair trade" in opposition to the U.S.-sponsored Free Trade Agreements with several countries in Latin America. With initial financing of more than US$1 billion provided by Venezuela, this initiative has created the Bank of ALBA ( formed as alternative to IMF and World Bank) , which claims "to promote projects of economic integration and infrastructural development as well as progress in social, educational, cultural and health programs in member nations. It also aims to eliminate the economic weaknesses of these countries and eradicate economic asymmetries as a result of the process of financial globalization", Venezuelan economist Jesús Faría explains.[1]

ALBA in Peru

In Peru, the staunchest defender of ALBA and Chavez is Hernan Fuentes, the regional president, or governor, of the province of Puno (please see map to see closeness with Cuzco and neighboring country, Bolivia). Fuentes wears bright red shirts, mimicking Chavez’s trademark color of choice, calls himself a proud foot soldier in Chavez’s Bolivarian Revolution and in his private office there is a life-size photo of the Venezuelan leader. Fuentes visited Caracas last year to attend the annual summit of Chavez’s regional union. Meanwhile, ALBA houses have proliferated in Peru’s southern highlands, serving as dissemination points for chavismo. Government officials say that these so-called "anti-poverty centers" have sprung up across Peru to promote political agitation which may have fueled protests against the government’s free market economic policies. Many centers were linked to a radical leftist organization known as the Continental Bolivarian Committee.[2]

There are an estimated 200 "Casas del ALBA" operating in Peru. The residences, mostly private homes with an ALBA sign on the front, have been described by Peruvian officials as meeting places for pro-Chávez radical leftist and coca-grower groups which in many cases have ties to armed terrorist groups. Apparently, they do "charity work," including sending nearly 5,000 Peruvians for eye operations in Venezuela over the past year.

The Peruvian Congress unanimously voted to investigate whether these pro-Chávez meeting points have ties with violent groups or another government that is interfering in the country’s internal affairs. There is evidence that "Chavista" agents from Venezuela and Cuba came through Bolivia to Peru using local hospitals and the offices of ALBA to co-opt sympathizers to destabilize the country. There is proof regarding the presence of Venezuelan military and civilian personnel and that this has been accomplished by the existing friendship between Fuentes and Chavez. "Some authorities in Puno want to mortgage out Peru to a foreign power," Prime Minister Jorge del Castillo has declared adding that "President Chavez wouldn’t tolerate outposts of my political party in Venezuela. Why are photos of Chavez in the ALBA centers?" [3] The installation of the ALBA offices has not been authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, therefore is illegal.

ALBA, Humala and Chavez – New evidence

Peruvian police arrested seven suspected Peruvian militants on March 29, 2008 on the border with Ecuador as they returned to their country after participating in a meeting of the Bolivarian Continental Coordinator (CCB) which took place in Quito, Feb. 24-28. The CCB is a public forum that brings together civil society organizations interested in promoting the "Bolivarian Revolution" in Latin America. The Bolivarian Revolution, inspired by Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez, calls for Latin American unity, socialist political ideals and the promotion of widespread protest activities as a means of resistance to global capitalism. According to media reports, some participants in the Quito CCB meeting discussed protesting the Latin American-European Union (ALC-UE) and Asian Pacific Cooperation (APEC) international summits to be held in Peru in May and November, respectively. The seven, members of the CCB Peruvian chapter (CCB-P), were detained under suspicion of "Affiliation and Collaboration in Terrorism." Their names are: Arminda Valladares Saba, Melissa Rocío Patiño Hinostroza, Guadalupe Alejandrina Hilario Rivas, Maria Gabriel Segura, Carmen Mercedes Asparrent Riveros, Roque Gonzáles La Rosa and Damaris Velasco Huiza . They allegedly received cash and directions from Venezuela via leftwing allies in Bolivia and Ecuador in order to create chaos inside Peru. Most of the detainees are said to be former members of the terrorist group known as the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA). Roque Gonzalez, a former high-ranking member of the MRTA, is charged with forming part of an international terrorist group with ties to Chavistas and the FARC with the mission of bringing down the current Peruvian regime.

Authorities say that Gonzalez paid for members of a pro-Venezuela group to travel to an international leftist conference in Ecuador last month, and that he purchased multiple tickets all under his name to hide their identities. "How did Roque Gonzalez, a prominent member of the MRTA who does not have any kind of employment, buy 15 tickets for his group to travel to Ecuador and back?" Peruvian Prime Minister del Castillo said he suspects Venezuela of providing "under the table" funding, but stopped short of accusing Chavez directly. "There is evidently a hand that’s financing this," Del Castillo said. "I won’t venture to single out anyone for now, to say ‘Hugo Chavez,’ for now." Del Castillo said Peru will not tolerate any foreign meddling and would exercise its "right to defend its sovereignty" if the allegations are confirmed.[4]

Some of the suspects expressed their gratitude to Venezuela’s president saying that this would boost support for Ollanta Humala, Chávez’s Peruvian protégé who narrowly lost the presidential election in 2006 and has vowed to run again. "We’re all Chavistas on this bus. Viva Humala!" said one suspect. There is no doubt Chávez is seeking to project his influence across South and Central America and the Caribbean. Opposition movements in Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua claim Chávez has made clandestine payments to their governments to consolidate his anti-American alliance.[5] Prosecutors in the United States are investigating the case of a suitcase filled with U$800,000 in cash allegedly destined for the election campaign of Argentinian President Cristina Kirchner, a Chávez ally. More seriously, Colombian authorities revealed that Venezuela’s President gave US $300 million to the FARC to help topple Colombia’s Uribe regime.

In addition, Peruvian Interior Minister Luis Alva Castro said he has evidence that the "Houses of ALBA" are linked to extremist groups encouraging violent protests that intend to boycott international summits to be held this year in Peru. Alva Castro told radio station CPN that the Peruvian government is in possession of some checks a country – which he would not name – paid, which "clearly state the purpose and the receiver." While he avoided pointing to Venezuela as the place where the funds are coming from, he said the police are concerned about the participation of some radical and extremist organizations in social protests in the country. Alva Castro said that what is known so far allegedly establishes a connection between the Houses of ALBA and the Bolivarian Continental Coordinator (CCB).[6]

On March 10, 2008, the congressional investigation concluded that Venezuela actually is funding Peruvian radical leftist groups. They looked into the bank and telephone records of 88 "humanitarian centers" for suspected ties to protests, road blocks and boycotts organized against Peruvian President, Alan Garcia.

The Humala – Fuentes – Chávez Link

Ollanta Humala’s popularity remains robust in some parts of Peru, especially in the southern highlands. Anti-government protests regularly shut down roads and cities, including one last month that closed the tourist city of Cuzco. Peruvian officials say that Humala and Chavez sympathizers are behind all this. According to Governor Fuentes "We in Puno are like another country…We don’t see the economic bonanza of Lima. The benefits are not felt here."

Ollanta Humala remains a threat to democracy and a free market economy due to his socialist and nationalistic rhetoric. Some people remain convinced that he continues to receive financial support from Chavez and that he is quietly campaigning in many provinces. According to the newspaper "Expreso" from Peru, it is said that Humala receives more than $600,000 dollars a month from Hugo Chavez to finance demonstrations and promote social unrest to destabilize the country. In fact, the violent clashes between some groups of farmers and the police are believed to have been promoted by Humala who has organized "The People’s Social Summit", which is to take place from May 13 – 15, the dates on which world leaders will come to Lima for the European Union-Latin America and Caribbean (EU-LAC) Summit. Money is apparently being sent through Bolivia from Venezuela to pay people to carry out attacks against government facilities. Peru and Colombia now constitute a headache for Chavez’s socialist revolution as they are examples of functioning democracies, with strong economic growth.

Both the Executive Branch and the Congress are investigating ALBA, its operations, activities and funding, as well as other pro-Chávez groups. According to Defense Minister Antero Flores-Aráoz, "the Houses of ALBA have reportedly become centers where the people are indoctrinated to reject the Peruvian government. Further, the houses are now promoting subversive acts." While the minister clarified that there was no certainty that Venezuela or pro-Chávez players were funding the Houses of ALBA in Peru, "there is the incident of the cash-filled suitcase" that US-Venezuelan businessman, Guido Antonini unsuccessfully tried to smuggle into Buenos Aires last August. "We should presume that this method is used in Peru too," he added. The Peruvian government says that while the charity houses offer help to the poor, they also provide heavy doses of leftist ideology.[7]

Chavez is funding ALBA to boost his "Bolivarian Revolution" and a Chavista Region

Peruvian officials say that Venezuela is funneling support for ALBA homes through Bolivia. Peruvian President Alan Garcia claims that Chavez plans to build a seven-story office in La Paz, the Bolivian Capital, to serve as a "general headquarter" to coordinate Venezuela’s joint operations in the region with its leftist allies Cuba and Nicaragua. Their ultimate goal is to destabilize Peru so that the country adheres to their type of thinking, which would lead to the downfall of the Andean nation. The accusations come in the context of a regional showdown over alleged Venezuelan and Ecuadorian attempts to destabilize Colombia’s U.S.-backed government.[8]   Peruvian officials believe the building, in the Obraje neighborhood, will be used for military training of young Indian people from southern Peru.

Peruvian Prosecutors are accusing Puno’s Governor Fuentes of corruption for misusing public funds; allegations that surfaced days after he decided to declare independence from Peru’s central government. He maintains there is nothing seditious or radical about his proposal to turn Peru into a federated union of state governments, similar to the United States. Fuentes is considering seeking asylum in Venezuela or Bolivia for what he calls "political persecution by the central government" and is in deep trouble: apart from being accused of mismanaging public funds, there are reports he is receiving cash from Venezuela to finance protests against the Garcia regime. Locals are accusing him of living the "high life," and of paying family members and friends for their loyalty, all this with funds coming from the government of Venezuela. Either way, according to del Castillo, Fuentes wants to leave Peru because he is scared: There is an article in the Peruvian Penal Code that is related to the behavior of Mr. Fuentes, which states "A person who practices an act intended to separate a part of the Republic will be reprimanded with a prison sentence of no less than 15 years." If Fuentes doesn’t leave, he risks prosecution and imprisonment.

The Americas Report has written extensively about Chavez’s actions and interventions into other sovereign states. Chavez has promoted or taken advantage of any indication of social unrest in other Latin American countries by buying support or using one of his cronies, and then stepping in to agitate people, promoting and pushing for what he calls "The Bolivarian Revolution." He did it in the recent conflict between Ecuador and Colombia, where, out of nowhere, he sent ten battalions to Venezuela’s border with Colombia and was threatening to start a war with the help of the FARC to overthrow Uribe. He did not succeed since Reyes, the terrorist groups second in command and leader of the FARC’s operations was killed. Thus, Chavez’s plan to destroy the Colombian regime fell through. Plus it is said that the Venezuelan army didn’t want to fight due to their disenchantment with Chavez. Now he is using a similar strategy in Peru. Luckily, authorities were quick enough to discover his deeds and the Fuentes factor.

Chavez knows his popularity is diminishing in his own country and in the region. His strategy to promote an Indian uprising in South America and create an "Aymara Nation" which would bring Bolivia, southern Peru and northern Chile together into one single nation for his "Bolivarian Project" is losing support. It is now up to the Peruvian government to remain vigilant against attempts by Chavez to destabilize their country and even dismantle the Casas del Alba if they are Chavez supported and the cause for social unrest inside Peru.

[1] "Summit of the Bolivarian Alternative (ALBA) Concludes in Venezuela," January 30, 2008. Center for Research on Globalization.  

[2] "Agentes chavistas captan a peruanos en el altiplano," July 2, 2007. Diario Expreso, Perú.