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Cease Fire: Chapultepec Peace Agreement

Implementations

Cease Fire – 1992

The cease-fire between the Government of El Salvador and the FMLN formally began on 1 February 1992, in keeping with the timeline established by the Peace Agreement. ONUSAL verified that the cease-fire agreement was upheld throughout the year and no major incidences occurred. Only one close call was reported, in which tensions over lands in former zones of conflict led the Government to deploy a police contingent consisting of recently demobilized troops from the FAES in late October 1992. ONUSAL and the Archbishop of San Salvador intervened before the incident escalated.¹²³

“Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/23999), May 26, 1992.
“Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/24833), November 23, 1992.
“Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador (ONUSAL),” United Nations Security Council (S/25006), December 23, 1992.

Cease Fire – 1993

The discovery of secret caches of FMLN weapons in Nicaragua in February 1993 raised tensions significantly, but did not lead to renewed armed conflict. The most serious threat to the cease fire agreement came from the resurgence of “death squads” in the latter portion of 1993. Several politically motivated illegal armed groups, some fashioned after groups active during the civil war, emerged. They carried out brazen acts of violence, including assassinations of former FMLN combatants, and threatened more. Fortunately, both parties to the Peace Agreement, in cooperation with the ONUSAL and the office of the UN Secretary-General, decisively condemned the actions of the death squads and took proactive measures to reign them in.¹

“Ninth report of the Director of the Human Rights Division of the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador (ONUSAL),” United Nations General Assembly, Security Council (A/49/59, S/1994/47), January 18, 1994.