CNN logo
navigation


Search


Main banner
rule

Central America's longest civil war comes to a close

rebels

But Guatemala has a long road to true peace

December 29, 1996
Web posted at: 1:30 p.m. EST (1830 GMT)

From Correspondent Ralitsa Vassileva

GUATEMALA CITY (CNN) -- When the Guatemalan government and leftist rebels formally make peace on Sunday, it will bring to a close Central America's longest and most brutal civil war.

In the course of 36 years, the civil war pitted the army, protecting the wealthy elite, against rebels waging an insurgency in the name of the poor.

And it was the poor -- Guatemala's indigenous farmers -- who bore the brunt of the conflict. More than 140,000 people were massacred or simply disappeared. Hundreds of thousands were displaced from their homes, and more than 400 villages were destroyed.

While the indigenous people's poverty and social injustice sparked Guatemala's conflict, the cold war added fuel to the fire.

But the main reason why it burned so long lies elsewhere, according to Michael Shifter, a political analyst at a Washington-based think tank.

"There are very sharp ethnic divisions," Shifter said. "The indigenous population is a majority, unlike other Latin American countries. There are very deep-seated divisions. It takes a long time to agree."

president

An agreement has been reached -- many credit President Alvaro Arzu's leadership for its success of the agreement -- but the causes of the war are yet to be tackled.

President Arzu has to prepare the former combatants for democratic life. The rebels have agreed to hand over their weapons and become a political force, and Arzu has already started chipping away at the military's enormous power.

But he has yet to meet his goal of cutting its size and budget by a third and keep it under firm control.

Then there's one of the most controversial aspects of the peace process -- a sweeping amnesty law that human rights groups oppose but both army and rebels agree on.

wounded

"They felt that if prosecution was allowed, it would be very difficult to build peace and go beyond the conflict," said Shifter. "On the other hand it does support impunity, which is not helpful."

Arzu also has to move quickly to resolve the indigenous population's social needs. Mostly poor and illiterate, many of Guatemala's rural people have no work, and discrimination against them is deeply rooted.

And Guatemala has one of the lowest per capita incomes in Latin America.

Some help may come from the international community. But to truly succeed in peace, the government will have to come to terms with the causes of war.

 
rule

Related stories:

Related sites:

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

rule
What You Think Tell us what you think!

You said it...
rule

To the top

© 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

Terms under which this service is provided to you.