Disarmament: Chapultepec Peace Agreement

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Disarmament: Chapultepec Peace Agreement

Implementations

Disarmament – 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

  1. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/23999), May 26, 1992.
  2. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/24833), November 23, 1992.
  3. “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.
  4. United Nations Security Council, (S/24833).
  5. “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.
  6. United Nations Security Council, (S/24833); United Nations Security Council, (S/25006).

Disarmament – 1993

The FMLN continued to delay the destruction of the final stockpile of weapons submitted into the beginning of 1993. It announced that it was conditioning the completion of its disarmament upon the Government’s implementation of the Peace Agreements, and the two parties reached an agreement on 4 February 1993. The FMLN destroyed the remainder of its weapons inside El Salvador on 11 February 1993 and completed the destruction of arms outside El Salvador on 1 April 1992. About 3.5% of the total inventory of weapons was reported lost or stolen and not destroyed.1

The FAES was slow to fulfill its duty to recover military weapons held by private individuals, and ONUSAL expressed doubts that its lists even included the weapons the FAES distributed during the years of conflict.2 The recovery of all weapons held by private citizens was delayed by the Legislative Assembly, which was late to pass laws regulating the use and possession of weapons.3

On 23 May 1993 a large cache of weapons was discovered in Managua, Nicaragua. The FMLN later admitted it had kept this and several other secret stashes of weapons both inside and outside El Salvador under the control of a variety of factions, but maintained that they never intended to return to armed conflict. This constituted a serious violation of the Peace Agreements and threatened to sever all trust in the FMLN by the Government and the UN observers. The Government of El Salvador was outraged, and President Cristiani threatened to revoke the FMLN’s status as a legal political party. The UN Security Council expressed serious concerns for the future of the Peace Agreement. The FMLN cooperated with ONUSAL to locate all remaining weapons and begin destroying them.4 The FMLN did not meet the deadline of 45 days to destroy the newly discovered weapons, claiming that logistical issues forced them to take more time. A total of 114 arms caches were uncovered both inside and outside El Salvador. ONUSAL verified that they were all finally destroyed on 18 August 1993. The FMLN subsequently declared that its military structure was fully eliminated.5

  1. “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; “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/25812), May 21, 1993.
  2. United Nations Security Council, (S/25812).
  3. “Further Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/26790), November 23, 1993.
  4. “Further Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador (ONUSAL),” United Nations Security Council (S/26005), June 29, 1993.
  5. “Further Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador (ONUSAL),” United Nations Security Council (S/26371), August 30, 1993.

Disarmament – 1994

There were no reports to contradict the FMLN’s claim to be disarmed.

The Law for the Control of Weapons, Munitions, Explosives and Related Artifacts took effect on 11 January 1994, after it was approved by the Legislative Assembly on 9 December 1993 The Government initiated a campaign to recover military weapons from private individuals, but very few were actually relinquished to the FAES. The demining process concluded on 30 January 1994, with over 9,500 mines being cleared.1

  1. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/1994/561), May 11, 1994.

Disarmament – 1995

There were no reports to contradict the FMLN’s claim to be disarmed.

FAES efforts to collect military weapons held by private citizens remained ineffective. A central issue was the large number of unrecorded weapons in circulation. The Government seized about 2,000 weapons during the first few months of 1995, few of which were given voluntarily. Without clear records, the Government would have to rely on voluntary surrender of the weapons, but without incentives, weapons holders were reluctant to take any initiative to return them.1 However, an estimated 300,000 illegal weapons remained among the civilian population.2

  1. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/1995/220), March 24, 1995.
  2. “El Salvador: Thousands of weapons still in civilian hands,” Inter-Press Service, June 22, 1995.

Disarmament – 1996

There were no reports to contradict the FMLN’s claim to be disarmed.

Disarmament – 1997

Reports surfaced that a new cache of weapons belonging to the FMLN was found in Nicaragua. President Calderon Sol accused the FMLN of failing to comply with the Peace Agreement, ordered an investigation and filed a complaint with the UN. However, Nicaraguan officials did not confirm President Calderon Sol’s accusations.1

  1. “President says FMLN not surrendering weapons,” BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, February 27, 1997.

Disarmament – 1998

No new developments were reported.

Disarmament – 1999

A private organization, the Patriotic Movement Against Crime, took up the task of reclaiming small arms from the civilian population, offering coupons for basic necessities for each gun relinquished. Over 2000 weapons were collected.1

  1. “El Salvador: Swapping arms for staple goods,” Inter-Press Service, April 27, 1999.

Disarmament – 2000

FMLN was completely disarmed as of provisions of the accord. Nevertheless, it occurred only after the ONUSAL destroyed the arms caches inside and outside El Salvador in 1993. Number of weapons collected in the disarmament process is not available.

Disarmament – 2001

No further developments observed.