Peru: Military deployed to destroy coca fields May 24

Event

On Wednesday, May 24, the government announced that military forces will be deployed to destroy coca fields used to make cocaine. According to officials, the objective of the mission is to replace 50 percent of the coca fields with an alternative form of agriculture. It will require the military to seize over 50,000 hectares of land currently controlled by heavily armed rebels. Carmen Masias, the government’s drug czar, said that they anticipate the operation to take four years.

Context

According to media reports, around 75 percent of coca in the country is grown in an area of the Amazon the size of Puerto Rico. Peru and Colombia are the world’s largest cocaine producers.

Advice

Due to the presence of the Shining Path and other armed groups, many Western governments advise against all travel to the VRAEM (Apurimac, Ene, and Mantaro River Valleys) region, as well as the Huánuco region and areas along the Colombian border.