Salvadoreans suffer in harsh civil conflict

Press, 19 June 1984, Page 26

Salvadoreans suffer in harsh civil conflict

International civil rights groups assert that about 40,000 people have died in four years of civil war in El Salvador. Most of them were civilians.

The majority of Salvadoreans desperately try to avoid being seen to favour either side for fear of reprisals. In a bid to gain support, Government forces have embarked on a “hearts and minds” campaign through the distribution of United States-supplied food and medical supplies to those living in the designated war zones. The guerrillas, however, control many of the remote rural areas, in spite of relentless efforts to dislodge them. Government forces are over-extended and several months may elapse between their visits. In their absence, the guerrillas try to gain the support of the people, some of whom may support the ideals of the revolutionaries.

Neither side is capable of winning over the population without a guarantee of peace and safety. This would mean leaving forces behind as a protection against attacks from the other side and no side has the manpower to defend all the villages and towns in the war zones.

For both the tactic of the moment is to withdraw when heavily attacked. In this seesaw, the civilians of El Salvador continue to be the main victims of the conflict.

The photographs on this page were taken by a New Zealand photographer, REX HENDERSON, representing the Camera Press agency in London. Mr Henderson grew up on a farm at Hinds, south of Ashburton, and later studied at the Christchurch Polytechnic. He was in El Salvador for the 1982 elections, and returned to the troubled Latin American country for the 1984 elections.