General Romero Salvador was overthrown in a military coup. But the regime that replaced him is already falling apart under the hammer blows of the resistance.
Earlier this month
spoke to MANUEL, representative of the Popular Liberation Forces which is linked to the Popular Revolutionary Bloc (BPR).
MANUEL described the coup in 1979 as North American imperialism to hold back the revolutionary process which people maintain its influence given the situation in Nicaragua'.
At first the new military regime was able to attract support TOL Christian Democrats, but also from the Communist Party, which stressed the *democratic and character of the new officers. ICH DOE LOOK the minister in the government.
also benefited participation of the Popular Forum, an opposition front ranging from the The following article is based on an
Christian
of El Popular League (LP28) and mass through support for the coup' (FPL)
a manoeuvre of SE SALVADOR ana to in the area some civilian nationalist' of the loudest Job or labour political prisoners.
the government says or does.
Democrats to the leftist of 28 February Front for United People's Action (FAPU). Manuel stressed that our organisation, the BPR, stayed outside to deepen the struggles and demands of the people, instead of holding back mass action LP28 and FAPU soon withdrew from the Popular Forum, however, as popular struggles continued. One demands since the coup has been for the freeing of the But no amnesty has come. Every demonstration for political freedoms has been attacked by the army regardless of what the In reality the government does not govern. It has no power over the army, the national guard, and the rural police, which were the three pillars of the old dictatorship. In addition paramilitary grouping, ORDEN, is also receiving official encouragement.
AS Manuel comments: *Imperialism wanted to set up a more respectable government with more support, to modernise ProducHon But it kept the army intact in reserve, and now it is being used. things get really bad, it can also call on the military regimes in Guatemala and Honduras.' Quit On 2 January the Communist Party, Social Democrats and left Christian Democrats were forced to quit the government under mass pressure. Nine days later a new opposition coordinating committee was set up, involving the BPR, L.P28, FAPU and also the CP. The declared aim was to unify action against the government, take forward the armed struggle, and draw up proposals for a This was a sharp about-turn for the CP: to change from supporting the government to signing a joint call to arms against it. But this was the only way it could avoid being left on the sidelines.
On January demonstration of more than 200,000 people took capital, San Salvador, repression. fascist says Manuel, the ones used for crop-spraying and began to spray an insecticide called "Malathion" on the crowd".
The demonstration And if 'THE heroic Nicaraguan people, led by the FSLN, is an inspiration for our unity will to fight until Sandinistas' victory has opened an epoch of revolution America...
Salvador as a part of this Central American revolution and as a step in the fight for the liberation of all the peoples of the continent. victoria siempre! Venceremos!' communiqué issued on 10 January continued peacefully began to fire on us from the National Palace, from the Ministry of Defence the newspaper La Prensa Graficia.
'The huge organised demonstration, to the streets of the defended against the Immediately it set out, 'aircraft appeared little the Metropolitan University, from the air. then struggle of the their and victory. The Central see the revolution in EI the junta' Hasta la an opposition insurrections, "they offices of the brigades, the masses.' and trained for this covered and an organised because we could not get involved in a stupid and unequal battle. Little by people withdrew to the Cathedral and the where we were attacked But such was the situation that the government was persuaded by the Red Cross, foreign diplomats and a number of political leaders to allow more than 150,000 people to leave refuges churches, the Cathedral and the University.' By this time, however, more than 100 people had been killed and 500 wounded according to estimates from rights sources. Four days after this massacre, the press in E Salvador reported that 'the United States has reiterated its support for And what does the FPL see as its major tasks in the situation? Says Manuel: "In a situation of prolonged Wal partial uprisings of whole peoples and their armed self-defence army, we have set ourselves three tasks: to build a Marxist-Leninist party; to build the FPL to take part in guerilla struggle, the militias and self-defence brigades; and to build a revolutionary front of