People's Aid

People's Aid (Spanish:Socorro Popular, SOPO) was a Peruvian mass organization formed by the insurgent Communist Party of Peru-Shining Path; purposed to provide legal defense to members and associates accused by the state for crimes such as terrorism. It also provided logistical and medical support.

History
In 1979, SOPO was founded and led by Yovanka Pardavé Trujillo, after the party's Tenth Expanded Plenary Session session established civil organizations to recruit the civilian population into a United Front for subversion.

In 1985, SOPO suffered an internal line struggle over the issue of the militarization of mass organizations.

By the end of 1986, SOPO became integral to the Shining Path's armed "people's war," with militant detachments carved out of the group for conducting various terrorist attacks. Directed by the Pilot Plan of the Revolutionary Movement for the Defense of the People (MRDP), SOPO would displace the Metropolitan Committee (METRO) as an important central apparatus.

SOPO was dismantled in 1992 after both Trujillo and succeeding leader Martha Huatay were captured by DIRCOTE agents.