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El Salvador Civil War
Part of Cold War
Map of El Salvador
Date 1980-1992 Location Central and Eastern El Salvador Result Chapultepec Peace Accords of 1992; Restructuring of Salvadoran Armed Forces, the National and Treasury Police are dissolved (new civilian-overseen police created); FMLN becomes a political party, its combatants are exonerated Casus belli The overthrow of the Salvadoran government by way of Marxist revolution
Combatants
Salvadoran Government: Salvadoran Armed Forces, National Police, Treasury Police, Death Squads	Revolutionary Forces: FMLN FDR ERP RN PRTC
Commanders
Roberto D'Aubuisson Álvaro Magaña José Guillermo García José Napoleón Duarte Alfredo Cristiani	Cayetano Carpio† Leonel González Schafik Handal Joaquin Villalobos Nidia Díaz
Strength
About 50,000	8,000-10,000
Casualties
75,000 civilians 8,000 missing

The El Salvador Civil War was predominantly fought between the Salvadoran military dictatorship and a unified leftist opposition guerrilla movement known as the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) between 1980 and 1992. The United States supported the right-wing government.^[1] Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links El_Salvador-CIA_WFB_Map. ... The Chapultepec Peace Accords was a treaty which brought peace to El Salvador in 1992 after more than a decade of wrenching civil war. ... Casus belli is a modern Latin language expression meaning the justification for acts of war. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_El_Salvador. ... Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,428,974 (2000 est. ... A death squad is an armed group that carries out killing, often in secrecy, extra judicial assassinations and forced disappearances of persons such as opposition groups, dissidents, suspected sympathizers or members of rebel groups, street children, land reformists, activists, thieves, and others perceived to be potentially or actively interfering with... Image File history File links FMLN.jpg‎ This is a rendering of the banner of the FMLN used during the El Salvador Civil War. ... The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (in Spanish: Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional, FMLN) is a revolutionary and socialist political party in El Salvador. ... Image File history File links FDR.gif‎ This image was created by Ivan Sache from the website FOTW Flags Of The World website This image is of a drawing, painting, print, or other two-dimensional work of art, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the... Frente Democrático Salvadoreño (Salvadorean Democratic Front) is a broad front of democratic organizations that was formed in El Salvador in March, 1980. ... Image File history File links ERP Flag File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo (ERP) was the military branch of the PRT (Partido Revolucionario de los Trabajadores, or Workers Revolutionary Party) in Argentina. ... Image File history File links RNflag. ... RN symbol RN flag Las Fuerzas Armadas de la Resistencia Nacional (National Resistance Armed Forces) was a Salvadoran communist organization that was founded on May 10, 1975 when ideological differences within the ERP and the assassinations of Roque Dalton and Armando Arteaga made some members break away from the ERP... Roberto DAubuisson Major Roberto DAubuisson Arrieta (August 23, 1944–February 20, 1992), a Salvadoran political figure known as Chele, and Blowtorch Bob by detractors, was a Salvadoran politician and military leader who founded the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), which he led from 1978 to 1985. ... Álvaro Alfredo Magaña Borja (October 8, 1925, Ahuachapán, El Salvador – July 10, 2001) was the President of El Salvador from 1982 to 1984. ... José Guillermo García was a general of the military of El Salvador during the Salvadoran Civil War. ... José Napoleón Duarte Fuentes (November 23, 1925 – February 23, 1990) was a Salvadoran political figure who, from 1980 to 1982, led the civil-military Revolutionary Government Junta that took power in a 1979 coup détat. ... Alfredo Cristiani Burkard born on November 22, 1947 in San Salvador in El Salvador, was President of El Salvador between 1 June 1989 and 1 June 1994. ... Salvador Cayetano Carpio (1919 - April 12, 1983), also known as Commander Marcial, was the founder and the leader of FMLN. He was sometimes referred to as the Ho Chi Minh of Latin America. He committed suicide after blamed by the FMLN for the murder of FMLN second-in-command Ana... Schafik Handal Schafik Jorge Handal (October 14, 1930 – January 24, 2006) was a Salvadoran politician. ... Joaquín Villalobos (born 1951) was one of the leaders of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front during the Salvadoran Civil War. ... In politics, left-wing, the political left or simply the left are terms that refer to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of, to varying extents, liberalism, socialism, green politics, anarchism, communism, social democracy, progressivism, American liberalism or social liberalism, and defined in... The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (in Spanish: Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional, FMLN) is a revolutionary and socialist political party in El Salvador. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Media:rofl. ...

Prelude

Origins of the war lie in the early 1970s. Salvadoran industry and economy was devastated by the Football War with Honduras in 1969. In such an impoverished climate, opposition parties and guerrilla armies formed to challenge the military regime of the time. The government stayed in power throughout the 1970s only through fraudulent elections, leading in 1977 to mass riots and suppression that left 7,000 people dead. In this unstable environment the United States government supported a coup d'état in 1979 that installed another right-wing military junta. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Combatants El Salvador Honduras The Football War, was a 5 day war fought by El Salvador and Honduras in 1969. ... Year 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... A coup d’état (pronounced ), or simply coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government through unconstitutional means by a part of the state establishment — mostly replacing just the high-level figures. ...

1979 Coup and Growing Unrest

On October 15, 1979, the Revolutionary Government Junta (JRG), a group of military officers and civilian leaders, ousted the right-wing government of the President, General Carlos Humberto Romero (1977-79). The leader of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC), José Napoleón Duarte, joined the junta in March 1980, leading the provisional government until the elections of March 1982. In an effort to project a more moderate image, the JRG initiated a land reform program and nationalized the banks and the marketing of coffee and sugar. PDC leaders including Duarte also pledged to end human rights abuses from the military and affiliated death squads. ... General Carlos Humberto Romero was the President of El Salvador from 1977 until 1979, when he was overthrown in a reformist coup détat by dissident military officers and civilians. ... The Christian Democratic Party (Partido Demócrata Cristiano) is a political party in El Salvador. ... José Napoleón Duarte Fuentes (November 23, 1925 – February 23, 1990) was a Salvadoran political figure who, from 1980 to 1982, led the civil-military Revolutionary Government Junta that took power in a 1979 coup détat. ...

However, the JRG was torn by internal divisions, institutional pressure from the military, and a continuing insurgency from the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN). The extreme Right viewed moderates in the new government as Marxist sympathizers, and death squads linked to the junta continued to orchestrate a campaign of terror against armed and civilian opponents alike, targeting not only suspected FMLN sympathizers but local PDC leaders as well. The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (in Spanish: Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional, FMLN) is a revolutionary and socialist political party in El Salvador. ...

One of the most infamous death squad assassinations occurred when the Archbishop of San Salvador, Óscar Romero, was murdered in 1980 after having publicly urged the U.S. government not to provide military support to the Salvadoran government. Romero, the most high-profile critic of the military dictatorship was shot dead by agents of the government while officiating mass on March 24, and his funeral was the scene of a massacre by government snipers and bombers. Forty-two mourners were killed. Msgr. ...

Post-war investigations found that Major Roberto D'Aubuisson, head of Military Intelligence at the time, had ordered Romero's assassination. Romero's death was a spark for a full scale civil war. The country's opposition united and in October of 1980, five anti-government organizations formed a major military resistance known as the FMLN. Roberto DAubuisson Major Roberto DAubuisson Arrieta (August 23, 1944–February 20, 1992), a Salvadoran political figure known as Chele, and Blowtorch Bob by detractors, was a Salvadoran politician and military leader who founded the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), which he led from 1978 to 1985. ...

Civil War Escalates

The civil war quickly became very bloody and destructive. Infrastructure collapsed as the FMLN seized portions of the country and launched major unsuccessful offensives in January 1981 and again in April 1982. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The FMLN's first major military offensive was launched on January 10, 1981. During this offensive, the FMLN established operational control over large sections of the departments of Morazán and Chalatenango, which remained largely under guerrilla control throughout the rest of the civil war. Revolutionaries ranged from children to the elderly, both male and female, and most were trained in FMLN camps in the mountains and jungles of El Salvador to learn military techniques.

Government bombing and repression in the countryside killed thousands. Priests and nuns were among those targeted. In 1981 Mexico and France recognised the FMLN and called for settlement. However the United States under the Reagan administration opposed any left-wing influence in Latin America and massively increased its aid to the Salvadoran Army. Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981–1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975). ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ...

During the war several attempts were made at elections, but these were marred by paramilitary violence and/or FMLN boycott. In 1986 the aftermath of a strong earthquake brought three years of relative peace and negotiations. But in November 1989, the FMLN launched a new offensive, capturing parts of San Salvador. In response government forces bombed heavily populated areas of the capital. 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... San Salvador is the capital city of the nation of El Salvador. ...

By 1991, however, a new willingness towards co-operation was emerging. A truce was declared in April and negotiations concluded in January 1992. A new constitution was enacted, the Armed Forces regulated, a civilian police force established. The FMLN became a legal political party. 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In total the civil war killed 75,000 people, left 8,000 more missing and a million homeless with another million exiled.

United States role

The role of the U.S. in shoring up the right-wing governments before and during the Civil War became tremendously controversial after the rape and murder of four American churchwomen by a National Guard death squad on December 2, 1980. Maura Clarke, Ita Ford, Dorothy Kazel were American nuns, and Jean Donovan was a young laywoman doing a Catholic relief mission to provide food, shelter, transportation, medical care and burial to the poor. As such, like Archbishop Romero eight months earlier, they were targeted for assassination. A death squad is an armed group that carries out killing, often in secrecy, extra judicial assassinations and forced disappearances of persons such as opposition groups, dissidents, suspected sympathizers or members of rebel groups, street children, land reformists, activists, thieves, and others perceived to be potentially or actively interfering with... Maura Clarke (January 13, 1931 – December 2, 1980) was an American Roman Catholic Maryknoll nun and missionary to Nicaragua and El Salvador. ... Ita Ford (April 23, 1940 - December 2, 1980) was a Roman Catholic Maryknoll nun and missionary to Bolivia, Chile and El Salvador. ... Dorothy Kazel (June 30, 1939 – December 2, 1980) was a Roman Catholic Ursuline nun and missionary to El Salvador. ... Jean Donovan (April 10, 1953 – December 2, 1980) was a Roman Catholic lay missionary to Peru and El Salvador. ... In religious organizations, the laity comprises all lay persons collectively. ...

At that time, there were officially only 19 American soldiers in El Salvador, sent there in January of 1980 by President Jimmy Carter to "train" El Salvador's military.^[1] They would be joined in the early days of the Reagan Administration by 26 additional U.S. military "trainers." In addition, Salvadoran military were trained by the U.S. at the School of the Americas. James Earl Jimmy Carter, Jr. ... Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981–1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975). ... The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC), formerly School of the Americas (SOA), is a US Army facility at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia, USA. It is a training facility operated in the Spanish language especially for Latin American military personnel. ...

The U.S. sponsored the Salvadoran government with a $7 billion (U.S.) ten-year aid package which began in the Carter years and continued through the admnistrations of Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush. After the murder of the churchwomen, Carter suspended the program for a time; but funding was soon resumed. Reagan's foreign policy favored the regime even more strongly, and the supply of money, men, and materiel increased. George H. W. Bush - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

The slaughter of the four women, all American citizens, brought U.S. aid to the repressive regime into the public eye, and much controversy ensued. A second mass murder of clergy on November 16, 1989, nine years after the assassination of Bishop Oscar Romero and the four American churchwomen, re-ignited the controversy in the U.S. over the American women's deaths and fueled public demands regarding U.S. support of the Salvadoran regime. The 1989 victims were six Jesuit priests — Ignacio Ellacuria, Segundo Montes, Ignacio Martin-Baro, Joaquin Lopez y Lopez, Juan Ramon Moreno, and Amado Lopez — their housekeeper, Elba Ramos, and her daughter, Celia Marisela Ramos. Ignacio Ellacuria Ignacio Ellacuría (Portugalete, Biscay, Spain, November 9, 1930-November 16, 1989) was a Roman catholic priest, philosopher and theologian who did important work as a teacher and administration worker in the Jesuit university of El Salvador (Universidad Centroamericana Jose Simeon Cañas, UCA, founded in 1965). ... Segundo Montes Segundo Montes, S.J. (Valladolid, Spain, May 15, 1933 - San Salvador, El Salvador, November 16, 1989) was a scholar, philosopher, educator, sociologist and Jesuit priest. ... Ignacio Martín-Baró Ignacio Martín-Baró, S.J. (Valladolid, Castilla y Leon, Spain, November 7, 1942 – San Salvador, El Salvador, November 16, 1989) was a scholar, social psychologist, philosopher and Roman Catholic Jesuit priest. ...

Long after the war, the families of the four churchwomen brought civil suit against two Salvadoran generals who had moved to Miami, Florida in the United States federal court there. The case was styled Ford v. Garcia. The jury did not find the generals, Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova, former head of the National Guard and later Minister of Defense in the Duarte cabinet, and José Guillermo Garcia, responsible. The families lost again at the appellate level, and in 2003, the United States Supreme Court refused to take their final appeal. Miami redirects here. ... Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova was a Salvadoran defense minister, who by a jury of Miami, Florida was found guilty of the torture by Salvadoran death squads during the 1980s of three men. ... José Guillermo García was a general of the military of El Salvador during the Salvadoran Civil War. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States...

A second case against the same two men in the same court was successful. The three plaintiffs in Ramagozo v. Garcia won a judgment over $54 million (U.S.) for the torture inflicted on them by the Salvadoran military during the civil war.

See also

• History of El Salvador

Before the Spanish conquest, the area that is now El Salvador was made up of two large indigenous states and several principalities. ...

External links

• Report of the Commission on the Truth for El Salvador (1993) accessed online December 9, 2006.

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