Peru's Humala approval rating hit by Shining Path

Peruvian President Ollanta Humala's approval rating fell to 51 percent in May due to public outrage over deadly clashes between security forces and Shining Path rebels, an Ipsos Apoyo poll showed.

The president's popularity fell 5 percentage points from the previous month after 10 soldiers and police died fighting the rebels in recent weeks. The Shining Path also took 36 energy workers hostage in April.

The Maoist founders of the 40-year-old Shining Path insurgency were captured in the early 1990s. But small rebel units remain active and have aligned with drug traffickers in remote jungle areas of the world's No. 1 cocaine exporter.

The poll showed 61 percent of respondents disapproved of Humala's handling of the recent attacks and 69 percent said they believe the Shining Path is making headway against government forces.

Humala replaced his defense and interior ministers in mid-May in response to the violence.

The president's approval rating was 56 percent in April and 53 percent in March, according to Ipsos Apoyo. Humala was elected last June on pledges to include the 30 percent of Peruvians living in poverty in a decade-long economic boom.

Sunday's opinion survey, which was published in the El Comercio newspaper, polled 1,219 people from May 16-18. It has a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points.