The Farabundo Martí Popular Liberation Forces (, abbreviated FPL) was a

left wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social hierarchies. Left-wing politic ...

guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

military and political organization in

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

. It was the oldest of the five groups that merged in 1980 to form the

Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (, abbreviated FMLN) is a Salvadoran political party and former guerrilla rebel group. The FMLN was formed as an umbrella group on 10 October 1980, from five leftist guerrilla organizations; ...

(FMLN).

History

Named after Salvadoran revolutionary

Farabundo Martí Agustín Farabundo Martí Rodríguez (; 5 May 1893 – 1 February 1932) was a Salvadoran Marxist-Leninist revolutionary and activist during '' La Matanza''. Early life Martí was born in Teotepeque, a farming community located in Depa ...

, the FPL grew out of the Communist Party of El Salvador (PCES), which at the end of the 1960s proposed armed aggression as the best method to oppose the

military dictatorship A military dictatorship, or a military regime, is a type of dictatorship in which Power (social and political), power is held by one or more military officers. Military dictatorships are led by either a single military dictator, known as a Polit ...

in El Salvador. The FPL was formed on 1 April 1970; amongst the founders, Salvador Cayetano Carpio was considered the top leader of the organization, while Mélida Anaya Montes, the leader of the educational union, and university professors Clara Elizabeth Ramírez and Felipe Peña Mendoza were high-profile figures. During the 1970s, the FPL began to increase its social base, carrying out political and social work with the farmers of the North and Central Zone of El Salvador and with university students. In 1975, the People's Revolutionary Bloc (BPR) formed to unite trade unions and farmers. In 1979, the organization initiated conversations with other armed groups on the left for the unification of the revolutionary forces. These negotiations led to the foundation of the

(FMLN) on 10 October 1980. During the

Salvadoran Civil War The Salvadoran Civil War () was a twelve-year civil war in El Salvador that was fought between the government of El Salvador, backed by the United States, and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), a coalition of left-wing guer ...

, the FPL maintained its bases in the rural departments of Chalatenango, Cabañas,

Usulután Usulután () is the fifth largest city in El Salvador, and capital of the Usulután Department in the south-east of El Salvador. As of 2006, it is estimated to have population of 71,636 people. Usulután rests in a rich agricultural valley and ...

and the

San Vicente Department San Vicente () is a department of El Salvador in the center of the country. The capital is San Vicente. On October 4, 1834, San Vicente City of Austria and Lorenzana (Ciudad de San Vicente de Austria y Lorenzana) was made the capital of State o ...

. In April 1983 the organization faced a serious internal crisis with the assassination of Mélida Anaya Montes (Commander Ana María) in

Managua Managua () is the capital city, capital and largest city of Nicaragua, and one of the List of largest cities in Central America, largest cities in Central America. Located on the shores of Lake Managua, the city had an estimated population of 1, ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

. The Secretary General and leader of the organization, Salvador Cayetano Carpio was accused of ordering the assassination, and committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

before the investigations into her death concluded. After the events of April 1983, Commander Leonel González was chosen as the new Secretary General of the organization. After the

Chapultepec Peace Accords The Chapultepec Peace Accords were a set of Peace treaty, peace agreements signed on January 16, 1992, the day in which the Salvadoran Civil War ended. The treaty established peace between the El Salvador, Salvadoran government and the Farabund ...

, the FPL demobilized their military apparatus. By 1995 the organization had dissolved and had been completely integrated into the FMLN.

Kidnappings

On 28 October 1979 the FPL kidnapped the South African Ambassador to El Salvador, Archibald (Eddie) Gardner Dunn, during a raid on the South African embassy in San Salvador. Although the FPL initially claimed the kidnapping was done for ideological reasons a randsom demand of US$20 million was made for his release. This was negotiated down to US$ 1 million by the South African government through intermediaries but the transaction was never completed. The FPL announced that they had executed Ambassador Dunn on 9 October 1980. It is speculated that Dun had died, likely at the hands of the FPL, sometime before it was announced, possibly during a botched escape attempt by another person being held in an FPL safe house.

Ideology

The FPL was a communist movement. It initially adhered to rigidly communist principles and believed that only rural insurgency could be successful, but grew more pragmatic over time and became willing to work together with the FMLN. The organization also followed liberation theology, to the point that the Salvadoran security forces believes that the FPL was formed by progressive Jesuits. Its adherence to liberation theology became a major factor in the group's recruitment efforts, as the organization relied on "networks centered on catholic priests like Benito Tovar in Chalatenango" to attract supporters and recruits.

References

External links

Origins and development of the FPL
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuerzas Populares de Liberacion Farabundo Marti 1970 establishments in El Salvador 1990s disestablishments in El Salvador 1995 disestablishments in North America Communism in El Salvador Defunct communist militant groups Defunct organizations based in El Salvador Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front Guerrilla movements in Latin America Insurgent groups in North America Organizations disestablished in 1995 Organizations established in 1970 Organizations of the Salvadoran Civil War Paramilitary organizations based in El Salvador