Joseph and Jesus fought in the same war, but on different sides. Before 1992, they were irreconcilable enemies and today they celebrate living in a country where they have been friends for almost 3 decades.
“Of course not”. José Santos Melara, alias “Pepe”, responds with that force, if he and Jesús Quijano could have worked hand in hand as they do today.
In 1978, “Pepe” joined the People’s Revolutionary Army (ERP), one of the five armed groups that formed the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) in 1980. On the right, at the table, is Jesús Quijano, who in 1986 joined the Air Force, a branch of the Armed Forces of El Salvador (FAES). Today, they are both on the board of the Institute for Veterans and Veterans Affairs (INABVE). And they are friends. But both are strong in saying that more than 29 years ago their differences were irreconcilable.
This is, in his opinion, the main value of signing peace, that the Salvadoran brothers have stopped killing each other for their political ideas. “The war is crazy, no one wants to go back. We want to follow the paths of democracy, peace and justice as we have been. There is no place in the country to fight ideas with violence “, says Santos Melara with hope.
But getting to that point has not been easy, he explains, and he wants this message to reach Salvadorans and especially young people who can sometimes take peace of their own accord.
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“Conditions had to be created for when we could sit down and there were key actors, such as the United Nations or the Catholic Church, who promoted us to stop the suffering of this people,” the former guerrilla recalls.
In addition, he celebrates another point: “I agreed and the most tangible evidence in this regard is that the agreements were signed and that there was no shooting to fight the ideas.”
Jesús Quijano also emphasizes that El Salvador is a global example of compliance with these agreements.
“The ceasefire was not broken by either of the two protagonists,” he said proudly.
For this reason, and in the face of a growing rhetoric that denies the importance of agreements, Quijano says that “today more than ever, we must defend, especially us veterans who were enemies on the battlefield, but thank God we have reached the point of sitting down and ending the madness of January 16 ”.
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He adds that “the weapons were silenced and no rifle was fired between the Armed Forces and the FMLN. We must protect the legacy of the Peace Accords because we were enemies on the battlefield and today, together, we defend peace. “
And, although “Pepe” and Quijano proudly highlight the story, it is impossible not to delve into the risks of peace today …
Attempts to rewrite history
In December 2020, Nayib Bukele said in the village of El Mozote, where the bloodiest massacre of the war took place, that he and the peace agreements were a farce.
This has outraged and rejected much of Salvadoran society, including the veterans and veterans sector.
Santos Melara is direct and states that Bukele “wants to erase our history and create his own”.
And without giving so many twists, he adds that “the president is sick of the obsession with power, of becoming a god in the country and erasing and denying the whole past.”
“Peace agreements have not been unnecessary and have not been a farce,” Bukele’s academics and political leaders say.
For this reason, in addition to the rhetorical pitfalls and denial of the historical value of peace agreements, he adds that the president is trying to stifle the ex-combatants sector (see separate note).
“Try to erase history,” he repeated. “Last year we did not celebrate the peace agreements and there was no pandemic yet. He would like this not to exist, but we will celebrate it “, he assures.
Quijano joins and recalls the old maxim that “a people that does not know its history is doomed to repeat it.”
He adds that agreements are the cornerstone of democracy in this country and must be taken into account, understanding that their shortcomings and limitations must be worked out as a society and not used as an excuse to undermine peace and freedom.
“Pepe” goes further and says that Bukele could not have been president without these agreements and emphasizes that a clear benefit is that on the day he won the election and when he took office, no one delegitimized his victory. “Alternation is a benefit of agreements,” he says.
Abuse of power
In addition to their attempt to rewrite history, they both see a dangerous drift in the Bukele administration and attitudes similar to those in the country before the outbreak of war in 1980.
“In the conflict, society was divided between those who are for and against something. And today, if you don’t think like them (the Government), you are the bad guy “, complains Quijano.
In his view, the current government is leading a divisive rhetoric and dangerous actions that border on a dictatorial temptation.
Santos Melara also sees attempts to put a gag on the media and critical voices, situations that remind him of the repression that in 1978 led him to join the ERP.
“The only step left is to fight against violent ideas. We are confronted with someone who sees as an enemy who does not think like him “, he complains.
The discussion with both agreements means not only talking about history, but also about discussing the present and its risks, especially from the hand of a president who flirts with authoritarianism and despises the historic conquest of peace.
And, as in their day, they seem willing to fight for their country. “We are fighting for peace and we are ready to defend it,” says Pepe.