COCALEROS INCREASINGLY RADICAL BUT STILL FRACTURED

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LIMA 004441 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR PGOV PINS PE SUBJECT: COCALEROS INCREASINGLY RADICAL BUT STILL FRACTURED AFTER FOURTH COCALERO CONGRESS REF: A. LIMA 4271 ¶B. LIMA 1418 ¶C. 04 LIMA 947 ¶D. 03 LIMA 983 Sensitive But Unclassified, Please Handle Accordingly. ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Fifteen hundred cocaleros met in Ayacucho at the fourth Congress of the National Confederation of Agriculture Producers of the Coca Valleys of Peru (CONPACCP) in another failed attempt to create a unified national movement. Supporters of the Humala brothers tried to participate in the final day of the Congress but were rebuffed. Despite the lack of participation from Cuzco and Monzon cocaleros, the Congress brought existing CONPACCP members together with activists from the Apurimac and Ene River Valley (VRAE) and the San Gaban area of Puno. Jailed cocalero leader Nelson Palomino was elected Secretary General along with other new, more radical leadership from the VRAE. Following the Congress, Daniel Apaza, the CONPACCP Secretary for Propaganda, said there would be violent mobilizations to oppose eradication. Subsequently, Apaza was detained in San Gaban for rock-throwing against the police to protest against eradication efforts. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) Cocaleros from the primary coca producing valleys (excluding the Monzon and Cuzco) met in Pampa de la Quinua, Ayacucho from 9/26 to 9/30 for the fourth Congress of the National Confederation of Agriculture Producers of the Coca Valleys of Peru (CONPACCP). The unfulfilled objective of the meeting was to unify the geographically disperse cocalero movements into a national organization, along the lines of previous unification attempts (Ref A, C). Though successful in consolidating membership from cocaleros of the Federation of Agricultural Producers of the VRAE (FEPAVRAE) and San Gaban areas, a national unification attempt failed because representatives from Cuzco and Monzon were absent. The Congress Declaration has not yet been released. ¶3. (SBU) Representatives from the Monzon reportedly were not invited to the Congress due to past political differences between the CONPACCP leadership and Monzon leader Iburcio Morales. Cuzco leaders, though involved in planning for the Congress, decided not to attend, continuing attempts to distinguish between coca from Cuzco, an area that provides the majority of coca for the licit market, and coca from the other regions, almost all of which goes to narcotraffickers. (NOTE: The National Fund for Financing State Enterprises (FONAFE) estimates that Cuzco produces about 33,000 metric tons of coca leaf per year, of which only 2,500 metric tons goes to the parastatal coca marketing agency/regulator ENACO -- the rest goes to "other markets" including narcotrafficking. END NOTE.) Cocalero expert Jaime Antesana (who works for a USAID contractor) told Poloff that between 1500 and 2000 cocaleros attended the Congress with the vast majority (as high as 90%) being new members from the VRAE. ¶4. (SBU) The Congress reelected jailed cocalero leader Nelson Palomino as Secretary General of the CONPACCP (he is serving a 10 year jail sentence for involvement in violent acts opposing eradication in 2003 (REF D)). Walter Hacha Romani was elected as Undersecretary General, replacing Nancy Obregon, and will serve as acting CONPACCP Secretary General with Palomino in jail. Hacha is a leader in FEPAVRAE, an organization with a relatively radical base of cocaleros from the region that was founded by Palomino. According to Antesana, cocaleros of the FEPAVRAE are vocal supporters of the "coca or death" mantra and along with other radical cocaleros see Obregon as a traitor, conciliatory on opposing eradication. Daniel Apaza, the CONPACCP Secretary for Propaganda and coordinator for the Congress, told the media that there will be violent mobilizations to oppose eradication. (NOTE: Apaza was detained on 10/3 by police in San Gaban, Puno for throwing rocks at police during protests opposing eradication efforts in the area. He was driven by police to Macusani, 8 hours drive away from San Gaban, and charged. Protests to free Apaza and end eradication in San Gaban fizzled. Police are in control of the situation and the area is calm. END NOTE.) ¶5. (SBU) Palomino and Hacha's elections dealt a blow to Obregon's aspirations to continue as a CONPACCP's de facto leader. FEPAVRAE members significantly outnumbered cocaleros from other valleys accounting for the VRAE takeover of CONPACCP leadership. Elsa Malpartida, cocalero leader from the Upper Huallaga and ally of Obregon did not attend the meeting because she was detained in Leoncio Prado under charges of disorderly conduct against public and private property related to prior cocalero strikes she organized. ¶6. (SBU) Approximately 35 supporters of Antauro and Ollanta Humala, led by their father Isaac Humala, arrived on the last day of the Congress to organize and seek signatures for registration of the ultranationalist Ethno-Cacerista political party. According to Antesana and press reports, they were not allowed to participate in the meeting because political parties were banned from the Congress, but the Humalistas waited outside for the meetings to end to collect signatures. Obregon, however, expressed her support for Ollanta Humala referring to him as a natural ally and read a greetings letter to the cocaleros from jailed Antauro Humala. (NOTE: Prior to the Congress, Antesana warned Emboffs that Obregon was trying to position herself politically with Ollanta Humala (Ref A). END NOTE.) ¶7. (SBU) COMMENT: The CONPACCP discussions continued the strategy of decoupling coca growers from narcotraffickers by linking coca with indigenous rights and national identity. Though not achieving a national unification of cocaleros, the Congress did result in a stronger CONPACCP with wider membership and new, more radical leadership. Given the history of political infighting between leadership of the Monzon and the FEPAVRAE and the self-imposed segregation of Cuzco cocaleros, further unification is unlikely for the moment. The new CONPACCP leadership, dominated by VRAE representatives and excluding Obregon and Malpartida, could usher in a more radical opposition to eradication. Obregon and Malpartida's exclusion from the organizational leadership reflects their waning influence within the cocalero movement. The convergence of increasing violent rhetoric and the involvement of the Humala brothers in coca politics is of particular concern, although no/no formal link-up has yet been made. END COMMENT. STRUBLE