El Mozote massacre

El Mozote massacre
Part of the Salvadoran Civil War
The memorial at El Mozote
LocationEl Mozote, El Salvador
DateDecember 11, 1981; 42 years ago (1981-12-11)
TargetCivilian residents of El Mozote and neighbouring villages
Attack type
Shooting, grenades, decapitation
Deaths800–1,000[1][2]
Perpetrator Salvadoran Army

The El Mozote massacre took place both in and around the village of El Mozote, in the Morazán Department, El Salvador, on December 11 and 12, 1981, when the Salvadoran Army killed more than 811 civilians[1] during the Salvadoran Civil War. The army had arrived in the village on the 10th, following clashes with guerrillas in the area. The Salvadoran Army's Atlácatl Battalion, under the orders of Domingo Monterrosa was responsible for the massacre.

In December 2011, the government of El Salvador apologized for the massacre,[3] the largest in the Americas in modern times.[2]

  1. ^ a b Ian Urbina (March 8, 2005). "O.A.S. to Reopen Inquiry Into Massacre in El Salvador in 1981". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "A killer, reviled: El Salvador stops honouring the leader of the el Mozote massacre". The Economist. June 8, 2019. pp. 33–34 (2 columns). Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  3. ^ "El Salvador sorry for El Mozote massacre in 1981". BBC News. December 10, 2011. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2012.