56 years ago today, one of the world’s longest-running communist guerrilla armies was founded, the Philippines’ New People’s Army (NPA). Starting with just 60 fighters, today, the NPA counts thousands in its ranks & has built a mass base of several million nationwide.
Founded by the Communist Party of the Philippines in 1969 on the principles of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought, the NPA has waged more than five decades of “protracted people’s war” against US imperialism & the Philippine government which it classifies as a US “client state”.
Its strategy includes guerrilla warfare, land reform in liberated areas, and building a mass base among the poor. The NPA welcomes women, LGBT+ people, and those from oppressed communities.
Despite relentless US-backed offensives, the NPA remains active. In the name of counterinsurgency, the Armed Forces have committed human rights abuses, including torture, bombings, and killings. Human Rights Watch has condemned the state’s “red-tagging” campaign.
