Soldiers and sailors on parade at a military ceremony. Photo: Rio Times archive.

PERU · POLITICS

Peru will name its criminal gangs terrorist groups, President Keiko Fujimori said on Thursday 29 October 2026 in El Salvador. She said Congress had just given her government the powers to do it.

For US readers, the plan shows Peru, a key supplier of copper, gold and fruit to American buyers, moving toward the hard-line model of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele. It also raises a legal question about how far the new decree powers reach.

What Happened

Fujimori spoke at CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center, a huge prison that Bukele built in El Salvador to hold gang members. She said Peru had just received powers from Congress, and that one of them is to declare these groups hostile and terrorist.

She argued that naming these groups terrorists gives the state the legal tools to confront and imprison them. She compared the current threat with the violence of the Shining Path and the MRTA, the two armed groups of the 1980s and 1990s, and said Peru must restore order again.

Where the Powers Come From

The Senate approved the delegation of powers on Wednesday 21 October 2026 by 35 votes to 18, with 6 abstentions. Fujimori signed Law 32743 the next day, and our report on the law lists the 27 matters it covers.

The law lets the government issue legislative decrees for 90 calendar days on citizen security and on El Niño, a climate pattern that brings floods to Peru’s coast. One security item lets the government amend the organized-crime law so that gangs using terrorist methods can be registered and given some of the treatment that applies to terrorism.

Keiko Fujimori, Peru’s president since 28 July 2026, speaking at a public event. Photo: Rio Times archive.

Why the Terrorist Label Is a Big Step

In Peru, terrorism has a heavy history, because the internal conflict of the 1980s and 1990s killed about 69,000 people, according to the national Truth and Reconciliation Commission, most at the hands of the Shining Path. Law 32743 would let gangs that use terrorist methods be registered and given part of the treatment that applies to terrorism, while leaving the crime of terrorism itself unchanged.

Fujimori also said Peru wants to learn from the Salvadoran model, which cut murders sharply but drew criticism from human rights groups over mass detentions. She confirmed that new prisons are planned, as our report on the two new prisons explains.

What It Means for You

If you invest in Peruvian mining or trade through US funds, the plan signals a government that will put security first, which could lower extortion costs over time. It could also bring legal fights and protests that slow other reforms.

Travelers should note that extortion of transport companies is a problem in parts of Lima, where a state of emergency remains in force. The visit began on Wednesday 28 October 2026, as we covered in Fujimori’s trip to El Salvador.

What Is Not Known

It is not known which groups would be named, or by which decree and on what date. The law requires judicial control, periodic review and the right of defense for any registration and does not change the crime of terrorism, so it is unclear how a terrorist label would fit inside those limits.

It is also unclear how the armed forces would act under such a label, and whether opposition senators will challenge it before the Constitutional Tribunal, Peru’s top constitutional court. Fujimori did not give a timetable in the remarks we reviewed.

More: Peru news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Did Fujimori Announce?

Peru’s president said on Thursday 29 October 2026 that the government will declare criminal gangs hostile and terrorist groups. She said Congress had just given her the powers to do so.

Which Powers Did Congress Give Her?

Law 32743, signed on 22 October 2026, lets the government issue decrees on citizen security and El Niño for 90 days. It covers 27 matters in total.

What Is CECOT?

CECOT is El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, a mega-prison built under President Bukele for gang members. Fujimori toured it during her visit on 29 October 2026.

Sources: President Keiko Fujimori, remarks at CECOT, Tecoluca, El Salvador, 29 October 2026; El Peruano, official gazette, Law 32743 delegating legislative powers, 22 October 2026; Senate of Peru, plenary vote of 21 October 2026; Presidency of Peru, official visit to El Salvador, 28 to 29 October 2026.

Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error