Popular Revolutionary Army

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The Popular Revolutionary Army or Ejército Popular Revolucionario is a leftist guerrilla movement in Mexico. Though it operates mainly in the state of Guerrero, it has also conducted operations in Oaxaca, Chiapas, and other states.

The EPR announced its existence on June 28, 1996 at the commemoration of the Aguas Blancas massacre one year earlier. Dozens of rebels, carrying AK-47 and AR-15 rifles declared war against the Mexican government and read aloud the "Aguas Blancas Manifesto", as well as firing 17 shots into the air to pay respect to the 17 who died in the massacre.

Unlike their fellow Mexican guerrillas in the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, the Popular Revolutionary Army has a fairly Marxist-Leninist ideology, and advocates socialist revolution. Subcomandante Marcos has distanced the EZLN from the EPR in his communiqués, largely because of the EPR activities in the state of Chiapas in the midst of peace talks in 1996 and 1997. The EPR though still asserts its support of the Zapatistas.

The Popular Revoltionary Army has founded a militarized political party, the Popular Revolutionary Democratic Party, or Partido Democratico Popular Revolucionario. The group often signs its communiqués "PDPR-ERP," combining the Spanish initials of the army and the party. However, the Popular Revolutionary Democratic Party does not function in the political world independent of the Popular Revolutionary Army; the party does not appear on ballots in Mexican elections.

The following are attacks or events related, attributed or claimed by the EPR from 1996 to 1997:

June 28, 1996, after the reading of the "Aguas Blancas Manifesto" by "Captain Emiliano", guerrillas engaged police in a fire fight near the Guerrero capital of Chilpancingo, wounding several policemen and one civilian.

July 2, 1996 EPR communique warnes of "imminent" armed clashes with the army and police, this in response to the massive military presence in the area. Mexican army internal intelligence concludes the EPR to be a genuine force, better equipped and organized than the EZLN.

July 17, 1996, attack on an army patrol in the southwest of Guerrero wounds several soldiers and kills one civilian. Two weeks later an ambush on Navy patrolmen leaves another wounded.

August 7, 1996, EPR snipers kill one soldier and wound several others. The EPR general command give a press interview the same day. On August 25, the rebels claim to have killed 59 soldiers in between then and June 28.

August 28 and 29, rebels stage the largest assault so far, exceeding public and government conceptions about the groups strength. A coordinated multistate attack hits army, police and government targets in Oaxaca, Guerrero, Puebla and the Mexican Federal District, killing 18 and wounding more than two dozen. The EPR claims 41 dead and 48 wounded. Guerrilla forces also blocked roads in Chiapas to distribute pamphlets and seized a radio station in Tabasco.

May 1997, two engagements leave 5 soldiers and 4 guerrillas dead.

It is also said that they are heavily involved in the 2006 Oaxaca protests