In 1969, an old rivalry between El Salvador and Honduras erupted into a brief war, momentaraly shifting attention from El Salvador's deteriorating political situation. The battle was caused by a number of issues, including a long-standing dispute over the exact location of a border between the two countries and the huge numbers of Salvadorans who had migrated into Honduras.
By the late 1960s, more than 300,000 Salvadorans had settled in Honduras, and many Hondurans resented losing their jobs to the rard-working immigrants. In addition, the two countries differed on how to aplly rules relating to the emerging Central American Commmon Market. Ssalvadoran companies competed strongly against their Honduran counterparts, which slowed Honduran efforts to industrialize. Finally, rich Honduran landowners sought a sapegoat for land imbalances in thwei own country, and focused attention on the easiest target: Salvadoran immigrants.
Honduras began to expel Salvadorans in the late 1960s, causing the Salvodaran press to trumpet allegations of mistreatement at the lands of Honduran authorities. Tensions peaked around the June 1969 World Cup playoffs between the two countries, and erupted into war on July 14. Throughout the four-day war, the only organized call for peace was a rally staged by the the Salvadoran Communist Party in San Salvador. Begun under the pretense of "protecting the human rights of Salvadoran settlers," the war ended when the Organization of Ameriacan States arranged a cease-fire. By August, Salvadoran troops returned home to a "victory celebration" staged in the capital in an official attempt to salvage some national pride.
Who won? The "Soccer War," as it came to be known, left 3,000 dead, 6,000 wounded and caused $50 million in damage. Relations between the countries worsened and Honduras closed its borders to Salvadorans, blocked shipments of Salvadoran goods and stopped buying Salvadoran products. As Salvadoran emigrants returned home, land pressures and unemployment increased.
In the end, the Salvadoran military was the only group that benefitted from the war. The "effectiveness" of the armed forces had been demostrated, and Colonel Sanchez Hernández rode a wave of nationalistic fervor into the presidency in the 1970 elections. The military-allied PCN received 60 percent of the vote versus 28 percent for the PDCs. Nonetheless, repression, torture and disappearances of dissidents continued.
I thank the authors who wrote On your own in El Salvador
