The massacre, which was carried out late Sunday in a region called Valle de Los Rios Apurimac, Ene y Mantaro (VRAEM), has increased tensions in the country amid a polarized campaign for the presidency between leftist Pedro Castillo and his rival from the right, Keiko Fujimori.

The members of Shining Path guerrilla group attacked two bars and killed at least 18 people, including two children and six women, the officials said.

The Communist Party of Peru – Shining Path (PCP-SL), commonly shortened to the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso), is an organization in Peru following Marxism–Leninism–Maoism and Gonzalo Thought.

Shining Path has been widely condemned for its brutality, including violence deployed against peasants, trade union organizers, competing Marxist groups, elected officials, and the general public.

Shining Path is regarded as a terrorist organization by Peru, Japan, the United States, the European Union, and Canada, which consequently prohibit funding and other financial support for the group. (ILKHA)