Paramilitary Groups: Chapultepec Peace Agreement

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Paramilitary Groups: Chapultepec Peace Agreement

Implementations

Paramilitary Groups – 1992

The Armed Forces of El Salvador (FAES) carried out the disbandment of civil defense units in April and May 1992. Although they were nominally integrated into the FAES on schedule, the Treasury Police and National Guard failed to abandon their barracks by the established deadline.1 The Parties subsequently reached a negotiated agreement to concentrate forces in the established areas by 25 June 1992, and to present legislation to definitively abolish the National Guard and Treasury Police and establish a “Special Brigade for Military Security” by 30 June 1992.2 The FAES disbanded the Territorial Service by 30 July 1992. The FMLN also completed the concentration of combatants according to the agreement by 26 June 1992. Some small groups of armed and uniformed persons in support of “public security committees” remained outside the concentration sites, but with pressure from ONUSAL, these groups also complied with the concentration agreements by 30 August 1992.3

The FAES failed to begin recovering military weapons from private individuals on time, and it continued to postpone the process despite pressure from ONUSAL.4

  1. “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.
  2. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/23999/Add.1), June 16, 1992.
  3. United Nations Security Council, (S/24833).
  4. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador (ONUSAL),” United Nations Security Council, (S/25006), December 23, 1992.

Paramilitary Groups – 1993

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.1 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.2

ONUSAL verified that the National Intelligence Department was formally dismantled in November 1993, and the new State Intelligence Agency was created. It was not clear whether the FAES were still engaged in intelligence activities outside those permitted by the Peace Agreements.3

  1. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/25812), May 21, 1993.
  2. “Further Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/26790), November 23, 1993.
  3. United Nations Security Council, (S/26790).

Paramilitary Groups – 1994

Following the worst months of post-conflict violence, President Calderon Sol formed a working group and pledged to bring all politically motivated criminal groups to justice.1 The paramilitary groups that endured morphed into criminal gangs, but were still tied to politically-motivated attacks.2

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.3

The National Police was formally disbanded on 31 December 1994 as per the provisions in the peace accord.4

  1. “El Salvador: Calderon Sol promises to eradicate death squads,” Inter-Press Service, April 28, 1994.
  2. “Death squads tied to Salvadoran crime,” United Press International, July 28, 1994.
  3. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/1994/561), May 11, 1994).
  4. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/1995/220), March 24, 1995.

Paramilitary Groups – 1995

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

  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.

Paramilitary Groups – 1996

Even after the establishment of the National Civil Police, the Government still had some agents acting in a public security capacity outside the formal structure of the National Civil Police. In March 1996, the Government dissolved one such group, the “analysis unit,” but other personnel continued on.1

  1. “Mission of the United Nations in El Salvador: Report of the Secretary-General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/50/935), April 23, 1996.

Paramilitary Groups – 1997

No developments observed this year.

Paramilitary Groups – 1998

High violent crime rates and organized violence remained an issue in post-accord period. Politically mobilized paramilitary groups were either dissolved or disbanded but collecting weapons from civilian population remained a challenging issue. Availability of weapons could also have contributed to increasing rate of organized violence.

Paramilitary Groups – 1999

No further developments observed.

Paramilitary Groups – 2000

No further developments observed.

Paramilitary Groups – 2001

No further developments observed.