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1980
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Archbishop Romero
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- Civilians resign from Salvadoran government; the military and Christian Democratic Party form a new junta (ruling council).
- On March 24, Monsignor Oscar Romero of the Roman Catholic Church is assassinated.
- U.S. Congressional Committee debates military aid to El Salvador.
- In October, the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) is formed by five revolutionary organizations.
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American churchwomen killed in El Salvador |
- Father Ignacio Ellacuria, a Jesuit professor at the University of Central America (UCA) in El Salvador, receives death threats and the campus is bombed twice.
- Ronald Reagan is elected president of the United States.
- Six leaders of El Salvadoran opposition organizations are abducted and killed.
- Four U.S. churchwomen in El Salvador are abducted, raped and killed. Read about the trial in "Justice Denied" by former ambassador Robert E. White
1981
- In January, the FMLN launches a coordinated military attack across El Salvador.
- Salvadoran military occupies the UCA.
- Outgoing U.S. President Jimmy Carter sends $5 million in emergency aid to El Salvador; the government describes the Salvadoran conflict as "...a textbook case of armed aggression by communist powers."
- In December, approximately 1,000 villagers are massacred by the Salvadoran army in and around the village of El Mozote. The Salvadoran army and the U.S. deny that the massacre has occurred.
1982
- President Ronald Reagan certifies that El Salvador has complied with human rights conditions for receiving aid.
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Soldiers in Chalatenango
province, 1983
© David J. Monahan
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1983
- Salvadoran army begins counter-insurgency strategy against FMLN rebels.
- President Reagan appeals to U.S. Congress for increased aid to El Salvador.
1984
- Napoleon Duarte, a U.S.-backed Christian Democrat, is elected president of El Salvador.
- Five Salvadoran national guardsmen are convicted of the 1980 murder of the U.S. churchwomen.
- Talks between Salvadoran government and opposition organizations, including the FMLN, begin.
- The U.S. Kissinger Commission calls for increased military aid to the Salvadoran government and attention to human rights.
1985
- The FMLN kidnaps President Duarte's daughter and a friend. Father Ellacuria and Monsignor Rivera Damas, archbishop of San Salvador, negotiate a prisoner exchange, resulting in the victims' safe release.
1986
- Salvadoran government and FMLN talks break down.
- The ARENA Party increases its power in El Salvador and moves to strip Father Ellacuria of his citizenship.
1987
- Salvadoran government and FMLN resume talks in San Salvador.
- The U.S. increases aid to El Salvador.
1988
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President George Bush
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- Father Ellacuria meets with FMLN commandants in Managua, Nicaragua.
- Father Ellacuria and Father Montes meet with Alfredo Cristiani, the future president of El Salvador.
- George Bush is elected president of the United States.
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