Peru’s foreign minister resigns after controversial remarks on navy and terrorism

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Peruvian Foreign Minister Héctor Béjar resigned Tuesday (17) after earlier remarks in which he accused the navy of initiating “terrorism” in the country caused an uproar, according to Peruvian media.

Bejar’s resignation came a day after meeting with President Pedro Castillo after a Peruvian television station published some of his earlier remarks last weekend highlighting the Navy’s role in the fight against Shining Path.

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“Terrorism in Peru was set in motion by the Navy, and that is historically provable,” he said, explaining that the military institution had been trained for that purpose by the U.S. intelligence agency, the CIA.

“I am convinced, although I cannot prove it, that Shining Path was to a large extent a product of the services of the CIA and U.S. intelligence, I cannot prove it, but I am convinced of it,” he said.

The resignation was called for earlier after the opposition questioned his position because of his guerrilla past. Béjar, a university professor, writer, and sociologist, was one of the founders of the short-lived National Liberation Army (ELN) in the 1960s during the dictatorship of General Juan Velasco Alvarado (1968-1975).

About 70,000 people are estimated to have died as government forces battled the Maoist Shining Path in the 1980s and early 1990s in large swaths of the country.

The foreign minister’s departure is likely to add more political uncertainty to an administration already navigating a highly volatile and polarized first few weeks that saw the country’s sol currency fall to record lows against the dollar.

Castillo, a member of a Marxist-Leninist party, has come under fire for naming a cabinet that critics say is filled with fringe and inexperienced ministers. His backers say the cabinet represents Peru’s marginalized masses.

Castillo will need to appoint a new foreign minister before the end of the month when the opposition-led Congress will vote whether to accept or reject the cabinet.