Shining Path birthday celebration for Guzmán in Lurigancho prison in December 1990. "Without Presidente Gonzalo, we would have nothing." At the same time, the Shining Path suffered embarrassing military defeats to self-defense organizations of rural "campesinos" — supposedly its social base. When Guzmán called for peace talks, the organization fractured into splinter groups, with some Shining Path members in favor of such talks and others opposed. Guzmán's role as the leader of the Shining Path was taken over by Óscar Ramírez, who himself was captured by Peruvian authorities in 1999. After Ramírez's capture, the group splintered, guerrilla activity diminished sharply, and peace
First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba () is the highest office within the Communist Party of Cuba and is ranked first in the Politburo, the highest decision-making body in Cuba, which makes the office holder the most powerful person in Cuban government. In Communist states the First or General Secretary of the Communist Party is typically the "de facto" leader of the country and a more powerful position than state offices such as President (head of state) or Prime Minister (head of government), when those