Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movimient (MRTA)

Movimiento Revolucionario Tupac Amaru (MRTA) is another player in the game of violence. A Solidarity site has tried to portray itself as the inheritors of the centuries of oppression of the Indian masses (Tupac Amaru was an Indian noble who traced his leanage pack to the Inca. Helead a revolt against the Spanish crown in 1780-81). Its most daring assault was the taking of the Japanese Embassy in Lima and holding hostage diplomats, ministers, military officers for more than three months. A European site claims to be the official representive of MRTA. Another European site

A good report on the Japanese Embassy Takeover by MRTA in 1997 and its bloody resolution.

MRTA has practically disappeared in Peru, though there may be a few holdouts in the jungle that have been able to keep the faith because of the close connection with the cocaine trade. Both MRTA and Sendero owe much of their financial viability to the cocaine trade, basically extorting drug lords for "war taxes" in the name of the growers.

During the days when MRTA and Sendero were competing to gain militants, there was a dirty tactic of leaking info about the other group to the military and the police. So much for revolutionary principles.