Víctor Quispe Palomino (born 1 August 1960),

also known as A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's ow ...

Comrade José (''Camarada José''), is a Peruvian communist militant, and leader of the

Militarized Communist Party of Peru The Militarized Communist Party of Peru (, MPCP) is a political party and militant group in Peru that follows Marxism–Leninism–Maoism and participates in the Internal conflict in Peru, communist insurgency in Peru. It is considered a List of ...

, an offshoot of the Marxist–Leninist–Maoist

guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

Shining Path The Shining Path (, SL), self-named the Communist Party of Peru (, abbr. PCP), is a far-left political party and guerrilla group in Peru, following Marxism–Leninism–Maoism and Gonzalo Thought. Academics often refer to the group as the ...

. The group is present in the VRAEM region. By late November 2007,

DIRCOTE The Counter-Terrorist Directorate (, known as DIRCOTE) is the branch of the National Police of Peru that is responsible for Peru's anti-terrorist law enforcement. The Special Intelligence Group, a former unit of DIRCOTE, is known for having ca ...

had identified Quispe Palomino as one of the ten most wanted terrorists in the Apurimac and Ene River Valley (VRAE). In 2008 it was reported that captured Shining Path documents showed that Comrade Jose was claiming to be the successor of Shining Path founder

Abimael Guzmán Manuel Rubén Abimael Guzmán Reinoso (; 3 December 1934 − 11 September 2021), also known by his ''nom de guerre'' Chairman Gonzalo (), was a Peruvian Maoist guerrilla leader. He founded the organization Communist Party of Peru – Shining ...

. On 31 May 2009 Comrade José gave an interview to a reporter from Punto Final, a Peruvian news show. During the interview Comrade José took responsibility for Shining Path actions, admitted that he personally participated in the

Lucanamarca massacre On 3 April 1983, Shining Path rebels killed 69 people in and around the town of Lucanamarca in the Department of Ayacucho, Peru. Shining Path carried out the massacre in reprisal for the killing of its local commander by villagers earlier in the ...

, and demonstrated a group of

child soldiers Children in the military, including state armed forces, non-state armed groups, and other military organizations, may be trained for combat, assigned to support roles, such as cooks, porters/couriers, or messengers, or used for tactical adv ...

under his command. Peruvian President

Alan García Alan Gabriel Ludwig García Pérez (; 23 May 1949 – 17 April 2019) was a Peruvian politician who served as President of Peru for two non-consecutive terms from 1985 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2011. He was the second leader of the American Popula ...

responded by announcing that the Peruvian government would denounce the Shining Path before the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

and the

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...

for their use of child combatants. In his Punto Final interview, Comrade José also claimed that both of his parents had been members of the Shining Path, and that his father died in combat with the Rondas Campesinas while his mother was arrested. He also spoke of his youth at

San Cristóbal of Huamanga University The National University of San Cristóbal de Huamanga () is a public university located in the city of Ayacucho (formerly known as Huamanga) in southern Peru. History The university was established in 1677 by Cristóbal de Castilla y Zamora, the ...

and said that he had three major combat wounds, including a bullet in his chest. He also said that he had close to 300 men under his command and they collected "war taxes" from narcotics traffickers. Comrade José also called his siblings "political embarrassments." This was a reference to the fact that they collaborated with military intelligence during the capture of

Comrade Feliciano In political contexts, comrade means a fellow party member. The political use was inspired by the French Revolution, after which it grew into a form of address between socialists and workers. Since the Russian Revolution, popular culture in the ...

. The

U.S. Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

is currently offering a reward of $5 million USD for information leading to the arrest of Victor Quispe Palomino.United States Department of State - Narcotics Rewards Program
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jose, Comrade 1960 births Living people People from Ayacucho Peruvian criminals Peruvian drug traffickers Peruvian communists Peruvian revolutionaries Members of the Shining Path Peruvian guerrillas