Disarmament – 1992
1992
The FMLN submitted its initial reports of personnel and armaments on time, but ONUSAL expressed repeated doubts about the accuracy of these reports. The Armed Forces of El Salvador (FAES) delayed the submission of its initial reports, but they were submitted and verified by ONUSAL.1 The FAES disarmed its civil defense units in April and May 1992.2
The whole Disarmament-Demobilization-Reintegration (DDR) process was then stalled for a period of several months because of grievances stemming from the failure of the Government of El Salvador to abolish the Treasury Police and National Guard as promised and the Government’s involvement in illicit evictions of peasants from farms in disputed territories. The office of the Secretary-General intervened and convinced the parties to set 15 December 1992 as the new date by which the FMLN would be fully demobilized and reintegrated and the FAES would be fully purified, thus constituting the formal end of the armed conflict. In addition, and contingent upon progress toward this agreement on part of the FAES, the FMLN agreed to concentrate its weapons by 30 November 1992 and begin their destruction on 1 December 1992. The Government agreed to resume the dissolution of military units as previously agreed once the FMLN destroys its weapons.3 When the first 20% of FMLN ex-combatants were demobilized on 30 June 1992, ONUSAL was dissatisfied with the amount of weapons turned over and insisted that the FMLN hand over a full 20% of its inventory. The FMLN finally submitted a cache of weapons to appease ONUSAL on 18 August 1992, but the weapons were in poor condition, raising ONUSAL suspicions that the FMLN was not being honest about its inventories. The second 20% of FMLN’s weapons (in reasonable condition) was handed over on 24 September 1992, and the third 20% by 31 October 1992.4The FMLN concentrated the remainder of its declared weapons and submitted the final inventory to ONUSAL on 30 November 1992. ONUSAL was satisfied with the inventory at this point, and destruction of weapons began. The destruction was delayed, however, and the FMLN did not meet the deadline of 15 December 1992 to eliminate the entire stockpile. The weapons were still not destroyed by the end of 1992, but the delay did not undermine the cessation of armed conflict.5
The FAES failed to begin recovering military weapons from private individuals on time, and it continued to postpone the process despite pressure from ONUSAL.6
- “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.
- “Letter Dated 11 November 1992 from the Secretary-General Addressed to the President of the Security Council,” United Nations Security Council (S/24805), November 13, 1992.
- United Nations Security Council, (S/24833).
- “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador (ONUSAL),” United Nations Security Council, (S/25006), December 23, 1992; “Letter Dated 29 January 1993 from the Secretary-General Addressed to the President of the Security Council,” United Nations Security Council, (S/25200), January 29, 1993.
- United Nations Security Council, (S/24833); United Nations Security Council, (S/25006).