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From the very beginning, around 1990, the project they developed was to adopt the third strategicapproach and form a political movement to be known as Patria Libre with an active armed wing(not yet named) to bring about a socialist revolution. 4 Arrom is reported to have immediately begunrecruiting members for his movement, even before it was formally established. Among the earliestrecruits were many of the eight Villalba siblings. Carmen, who became Alcides Oviedo’s wife, iscurrently the EPP’s spokesperson in jail. Osvaldo Villalba is one of the EPP’s military commanders.Liliana Villalba was detained while taking supplies to an EPP camp back in 2006 and then released. 5Jose Villalba is not officially a member of the EPP, but was a member of the Northern PeasantOrganization (OCN), a political organization that EPP openly endorses, and now leads a group calledArticulación Urbana y Rural de Concepción (Concepcion Rural and Urban Coordination), whichcarries out political action favoring EPP causes. It has also been reported that he recruits 15- to20-year-old youths from a variety of rural movements to attend indoctrination camps and events.There, class struggle and guerrilla warfare is glorified, thus serving as a first level screener andindoctrinator for potential recruits to the EPP. 6 Monsignor Adalberto Martinez of Lugo’s formerSan Pedro diocese, said that several of the Villalbas studied in the seminary directed by Lugo in the1990s. 7In the early 1990s Patria Libre carried out its own training in guerrilla tactics in the Paraguayancountryside. They also sought professional help and sent individuals to undergo more expert trainingoutside Paraguay, apparently Chile initially, where the Manuel Rodriguez Front (FPMR), was stillactive. 8Launching a violent insurgency requires a great deal of money so it is no surprise that themovement’s first actions were aimed at acquiring funds. Their stated goal was to accumulate 40million dollars by 2003 in order to launch the revolution. A bank in Horqueta was robbed, a bankarmored car was robbed in Caaguazu, 9 and a failed attempt was made to rob a bank in Chore, SanPedro by means of digging a tunnel in December 1997. This led to the first public knowledge of theso-far unnamed armed wing and arrests of members of the inchoate group including Alcides Oviedo,Carmen Villalba, Gilberto Setrini, Francisco Lezcano, Lucio Silva and Pedro Maciel Cardozo. Acivilian court condemned the defendants to two years in prison. 10However, it seems that robbing banks was proving to be more dangerous and less profitablethan desired. It was at this time that Patria Libre probably turned to the Colombian FARC, whichresponded positively. FARC international commission member Jairo Alfonso Lesmes Bulla, akaJavier Calderon, responsible for Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina, and Chile, is documented astraveling to Paraguay twice, in October 1998 and in July1999. He was detained on October 2, 1998by police intelligence agents checking his travel documents but was immediately set free. In July1999, Javier Calderon returned to Paraguay, where he gave a press interview speaking about thepeace process between FARC and the government of Andres Pastrana. Throughout his travels inParaguay Calderon was always accompanied by members of Patria Libre, among them Juan Arrom. 11It was shortly thereafter that Patria Libre began carrying out kidnappings. However, this resultedin splits within the movement. Arrom and a majority of militants were willing to use the armedwing to carry out assassinations, kidnappings and other criminal activities. Others objected, andthese separated from the party. 12 A first attempt at kidnapping failed against Colorado Senator ÓscarGonzález Daher. 13 In November 2001 the clandestine organization carried out its first successful6“Mons. Zacarias cuenta evolución del EPP,” ABC Color, October 21, 2009.7Michael Warren, “Bishop-turned-president tested in Paraguay,” Associated Press, December 9, 2009.6“Vi formarse al EPP y tambien recibi entrenamiento guerrillero,” Ultima Hora, October 22, 2009.9“EPP tenia por meta recaudar US$ 40 millones para llegar al poder en 2003,” La Nacion, October 25, 2009.10“Larga Marcha del EPP,” Ultima Hora, October 25, 2009 also “EPP tenia por meta recaudar US$ 40 millones para llegar al poder en 2003,” LaNacion, October 25, 2009.11“Investigadores refuerzan hipótesis de supuesto apoyo externo al EPP,” ABC Color, December 12, 2009.12“Vi formarse al EPP y tambien recibi entrenamiento guerrillero,” Ultima Hora, October 22, 2009.Security and Defense Studies Review 2009/Edición 2009/ Edicão 2009/ Volume 9, Issues 1 & 2 107