Stop US intervention in El Salvador!


            Late last year the US once again intervened, in the sovereign affairs of the Salvadoran government. Using the leverage of an economic aid package called the Partnership for Growth the US forced the resignation of the Minister of Public Security, Manuel Melgar, who was then replaced by David Mungia Payes a former military general. A series of other changes made by President Funes have left all of El Salvador’s public security apparatus in the hands of former military generals in clear violation of the Peace Accords. This militarization follows an alarming trend in Central America to militarize the region in order to fight the “War on Drugs”.  The effects of this failed policy have already been seen by the over 4 million people displaced in Colombia and over 50,000 deaths in the last 5 years in Mexico.  A similar effect will be seen in Central America unless the US drastically changes its militaristic implementation of the “War on Drugs”.

 

We the undersigned are gravely concerned about the recent shakeup of the Salvadoran government’s public security institutions under pressure from the US government which has left former military officers in charge of what were specifically designated as civilian bodies by the 1992 Peace Accords. This action is a grave violation of the sovereignty of El Salvador. We demand that the US stop using security and economic cooperation, such as the Partnership for Growth, to influence the internal decisions of the Salvadoran government.

The militarization of public security in El Salvador follows a trend of militarization in Latin America under the guise of fighting the “War on Drugs”. These policies have failed in Mexico and Colombia. The flow of drugs to the US has not been affected but the civilian populations of these countries have been devastated. We demand that the US immediately stop the militarization of El Salvador and the region in order to fight the “War on Drugs”, and focus on prevention and treatment both in the US and in Central America.

In another violation of the sovereignty of El Salvador the US has often attempted to influence the outcome of the democratic elections in El Salvador. We demand that the US not interfere in any way in the elections of El Salvador and emit a statement of neutrality at least one month ahead of the 2014 presidential elections.
Optional Member Code


A very brief history of US intervention in El Salvador

The US has been intervening in the affairs of El Salvador for decades in order to expand and control its economic and political interests in the region.  This intervention has come in military, political and economic forms and has had devastating effects on the Salvadoran people.

 

            During the Salvadoran civil war in the 1980s the US government poured millions of dollars into the Salvadoran military apparatus and trained thousands of Salvadoran officers at the School of the Americas, which resulted in the killing, torturing and displacement of tens of thousands Salvadorans. 

 

            In 1992 with the signing of the peace accords, the United States began a new era of intervention in the form of neoliberal economic policies.  This time was supposed to be one of reconciliation and building an inclusive democratic model.  However, the neoliberal economic model which was imposed on El Salvador by the US and approved by Salvadoran elite only exacerbated the economic situation for the majority of Salvadorans which was one of the reasons behind the civil war.

 

            Throughout this time the US has used political threats to influence elections in El Salvador.  US lawmakers have threatened to take measures such as cutting off diplomatic ties, stopping remittances or deporting all Salvadorans if the left wing party were to win.  These threats were taken very seriously by the Salvadoran people and contributed to right wing victories up until the 2009 elections, when the State Department issued a neutrality statement prior to the elections after pressure from CISPES and other allies.