The were originally formed as a protection force against theft, especially
cattle rustling. They developed further as a response to the
Shining Path's violence against their local leaders. When Shining Path leader
Abimael Guzmán launched his insurgency against the government in 1980, the Peruvian armed forces by and large ignored the threat at the very outset. Because the very core of the movement was land and wealth redistribution, the insurgency was confined to rural areas in the Andean regions inhabited by indigenous and Amerindian groups, and largely off the radar of the government. The Shining Path challenged the government by making scenes. They would dynamite buildings and make big symbolic gestures, such as "blowing up a major general's tomb or hanging dogs". The
rondas developed their own legal system that acts parallelly to the ordinary justice system.
Legalization and government coordination It was only in 1982 that the Peruvian government began to take action in earnest. Military rule was established in nine provinces after a state of emergency was declared in December of that year, and the were employed by the military. The Peruvian military, their auxiliaries the , and the Sendero Luminoso guerrillas all committed
human rights atrocities during the course of the conflict. For two years, the "dirty war" was fought, with all sides killing anyone suspected for any reason of being with whoever "the enemy" was to the killers. The Peruvian Marine Infantry made a policy of clearing the countryside for battle, and relocating people to strategically defended areas. It was in one of these new settlements that the first official civil defense committee was developed by the citizens, based on the military's model of government. Specifically, the "Comites de Autodefensa" (Committees of Self-Defense) were to work in tandem with the military and/or the police to provide local defense of their villages. These committees were armed by the government, mostly with 12-gauge shotguns, and trained by the official Peruvian military. A later decree specified that all legally recognized needed to work with and under the guidelines of the Comites de Autodefensa.
Modern-day impact The communal peasant organization integrated the rondas campesinas. Several former leaders of the rondas campesinas were able to participate successfully in the political process. The previous president of Peru
Pedro Castillo claims to be a former rondero. ==See also==