The 1986 Invasion
Margarita describes a time during the 1986 invasion when she thought her husband had been killed.
Chapter 6: Resettlement & the "Desembarco"
Many Salvadorans returned from refugee camps in Honduras in the late 1980s, but faced continued repression upon their return. Refugees were stigmatized as guerrilla supporters. Just days after officially resettling Arcatao in early 1986, the population was targeted by military operations. In an operation which community members call the “Desembarco,” Arcatao was invaded by troops who arrived suddenly in helicopters. The population was ordered to go to the center of town, where the men were separated from the women and children. The men were interrogated and publicly tortured while the women and children were held in the church and threatened. Several men were taken by soldiers and disappeared. Survivors credit an intervention by foreign journalists, who were arrested in the operation, with preventing a larger massacre. Arcatao and other resettled populations found international support vital, including the humanitarian work of individuals and organizations, and sister relationships with cities and churches around the world.
The 1986 Invasion
Rosa relates her experience of the 1986 invasion, which took place shortly after she and her family had resettled in Arcatao.
The 1986 “Desembarco” Invasion
Virginia remembers the 1986 “Desembarco” invasion in Arcatao, in which seven men were killed by the military, and explains how events were changed by the reports of foreign journalists who were arrested during the operation.
The 1986 Invasion of Arcatao
Marta narrates her experience of the 1986 invasion of Arcatao, at a time when she was pregnant, and how her husband was killed by the military.
The Embroidery Group
Hermelinda remembers how a nun’s initiative helped prompt a community embroidery group in 1989.