The FMLN's Call To Arms
S INCE 1981, the Farabundo Mar-
Pti National Liberation Front has pointed out the need for a political solution to the war. This effort met with the stubborn opposition of the Armed Forces and the ultrarightist sectors in the country, which in fact have retained total power. We put forward dozens of negotiating proposals, in which we took more and more flexible positions, despite the fact that the military situation showed that we were unbeatable.
To the present ARENA government, we submitted a proposal that opened real perspectives for peace. Nonetheless, it responded with an escalation of repres sion, with torture and murders that culminated in the slaughter of FENASTRAS workers. The government refused to discuss our formulas for negotiation, and at the same time deepened the causes of the war, aggravating the social crisis and closing off the possibilities for action by the popular sectors.
In this dangerous situation, which not only threatened to stand in the way of a peaceful solution to the war but also threatened new killing and flagrant violations of the democratic rights of our people, the FMLN decided to launch an energetic strategic military offensive that would stop the fascists and open up the possibility for ending the war.
So, at 8:00 pm on November 11, our forces went into battle in all the theaters chosen for the offensive, making a joke out of the the measures and deployments that the army had undertaken to stop us.
### Fighters more than accomplish objectives
Despite their smaller forces and means, our battle-hardened fighters more than accomplished all their objectives, waging one of the most glorious militury battles in the history of people's war. In less than 15 hours, we took control of strategic territories, wiped out dozens of enemy units, took prisoners, seized arms and destroyed tanks and aircraft.
At the end of four days of uninterrupted fighting, our forces had repelled all enemy counterattacks, won new positions, and thousands of people in the cities had risen up in support of our forces and increased their numbers. In this situation, the ARENA government and the clique of corrupt officials known as the "Tandona" who command the Armed Forces unleashed criminal bombardment of the civil population in an attempt to stop the popular uprising. This has increased the support for our forces and redoubled the popular
We publish below a statement on the current uprising issued by the
General Command of the
FMLN under the title
"Manifiesto a la Nacion".
### DOCUMENT anger against the Cristiani government and the army.
Offensive must be carried
In this way, a situation has arisen requiring that our forces take the decision to carry the offensive they have launched with the people to its final consequences Peace is only possible by throwing those who have made the war a business out of the government. Accordingly, the Gener-
1. Orders all our units to hold the positions that have been won and to proceed to organize a general uprising of our people, to undertake all the tasks of safeguarding and defending the population, as well as requisitioning and distributing
2. It calls on the people to generalize the uprisings in order to join in the fighting, participating in every way possible and using every sort of popular armament enabling them to defend themselves and strike the enemy.
3. It proclaims that after the broadcast of the present statement, we are declaring all the zones under our control in the departments of Morazán, San Miguel, La Unión, Usulután, Cuscatlán, Chalatenango, San Vicente and Cabañas to be terriAccordingly, our forces and the people will proceed to organize people's governments in all the towns. At the same time, our forces controlling territory in the cities must step up the struggle in order to
EL SALVADOR secure control of the entire country.
4. It calls on all the working people to stop work as a way of generalizing the struggle that will help to undermine the ARENA government and also enable everyone to join in the fight. Accordingly, so that the people can prepare themselves, we declare that the present transport strike, sabotage of energy supply and shutdown of gas stations will continue indefinitely We issue a categorical warning to bosses
International Aid for victims needed
5. It calls on the international communities and the humanitarian organizations to send aid to the civilian victims of the bombing and to help to create refuges for the population against the criminal action unleashed by the Cristiani government and the Armed Forces high command.
6. It issues an urgent appeal to all political and social forces, people's organizations and private businessmen in our country to assume the historic role of promoters and builders of a nationaldemocratic solution that will bring lasting peace to our country.
7. It makes a patriotic appeal to the officers and soldiers of the national army not to let the Tandona, ARENA and the interests of the United States bring them into further confrontation with the people, soiling their hands with blood. Our Front does not regard them as enemies, and is ready to make peace with those sections of the army that want justice, sovereignty and real democracy for our country.
The common enemy of the entire people and all social and political forces in our enriched itself from the war, and ARENA's death squadrons. They are the enemies of peace, democracy; they are the ones who do not want a system of justice. Against them, we call on the entire nation to struggle so that we can sing the verse of the national anthem that the tyranny has
"Liberty is the principle and guide that it has pledged a thousand times to defend, and to reject the odious power of arrogant
General Command of the FMLN
Comandante Salvador Sánchez Cerén
Comandante Eduardo Sancho
Comandante Joaquín Villalobos
Comandante Francisco Jovel Comrade Sover 13, 1989. * 27 Comandante Schafick J. Handal
International campaign needed against army's mass murder
International Viewpoint #74 • November 27, 1989
EL SALVADOR T HE FMLN LAUNCHED its offensive from a position of strength, judging that the army's dramatic escalation of the repression against the popular movement after October 31, combined with the failure of the latest negotiations with Cristiani, required a general initiative that could lead to a mass uprising.
The FMLN considered that the international situation dominated by the recent evolution in East Europe would make it more difficult for the US to intervene although such an eventuality cannot be
The FMLN, thus, did not plunge into a desperate or adventurist initiative, and did not confront the mass organizations with a fait accompli. They were expecting such an action by the FMLN and were anxious for it after the massacre perpetrated at the FENASTRAS headquarters on October 31 (10 deaths).
US Congress grants aid to
Salvadoran military