The number of attacks in the remote location region of Peru has risen to 16 in New Peru

Peruvian authorities accuse the dissident faction of the Maoist rebel group Shining Path of deadly violence.

Number of dead an attack Authorities said Tuesday that it had risen to 16 in a mountainous and remote region of Peru, as the country’s interim president promised that those responsible for the killings would not face “impunity”.

Peruvian authorities have blamed deadly violence on a dissident faction in the Shining Path, a Maoist movement that confronted the government in the 1980s and 1990s.

“We are doing everything we can to deploy the police and the military to effectively combat this scourge,” interim President Francisco Sagasti told reporters.

“We know it’s rugged terrain, with a lot of ravines that drug terrorists know very well.”

Citizens – including at least two children – were killed in San Miguel del Enea in a coca-growing valley, where members of the group are on a bright path.

According to authorities, 75% of cocaine is produced in the South American country in the Valle de los Rios Apurimac, Ene y Mantaro (VRAEM) mountain range. Police accuse Shining Path of acting as a “bodyguard” for drug traffickers.

The attack took place less than two weeks before Peruvians went to the polls to put left-wing leader Pedro Castillo against right-wing candidate Pedro Kekillo, who put Keiko Fujimo, the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, in the second round of the presidency.

Al Jazeera’s Mariana Sanchez, from Lima, said the attack did not surprise many, as similar acts of violence were carried out before the last election. “Analysts say voters want to be afraid to support left-wing candidates,” Sanchez said.

Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Monday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck.

Sagasti has ordered police and soldiers to the area, and a specialized “terrorism” unit has been tasked with investigating the killings.

“We were beaten many years ago in other parts of the country, but (Shining Paths) remains in one place and we hope that terrorism will soon be eradicated with decisive actions by the armed forces,” Sagasti said.

Both Castillo and Fujimori condemned the attack, as did the Organization of American States (AOS), which said it ruled out “any kind of fear against citizens.”

“As part of the ongoing electoral process, we call on all actors to act responsibly, avoiding hate speech that exacerbates tensions,” the United Nations Office in Lima said in a statement on Monday.