Western Hemisphere 85
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (Negotiated)
Fatalities: >999 deaths
Narrative: This dispute describes the Football War, which was fought over several
issues. First, Honduran resentment built toward 300,000 El Salvadoran migrants who
worked or squatted in agricultural plots and worked in factories. Second, Honduras
and El Salvador contested portions of their border. Third, Honduras began to enforce
ownership laws that restricted property rights for foreigners.
These conflicts became palpable on June 8 when El Salvador lost a soccer match to
Honduras 1-0 in overtime. Many El Salvadorans thought their team had been cheated.
Rioting preceded the rematch in San Salvador on June 15, which El Salvador won 3-0.
El Salvadorans threw rocks at Honduran team vehicles and broke windshields as the
Hondurans made their way home. In response, Hondurans attacked Salvadoran shops
in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, prompting 10,000 El Salvadorans to flee back to
El Salvador.
El Salvador broke diplomatic relations on June 26 and Honduras broke off relations
on June 27. Early on July 14 three Honduran fighter jets entered Salvadoran territory
near El Poy. The same day Salvadoran military planes attacked the Honduran capital
and several other cities and ground troops entered Honduras. Although El Salvador
managed to occupy parts of Honduras, neither side had the resources necessary to
sustain an attack.
Ammunition stocks were low and reportedly each side only possessed eight work-
ing military aircraft at the beginning of the conflict, all from World War II, and too
few parts to keep them flying.
On July 18 the Organization of American States (OAS), with pressure from the
United States, called for a ceasefire, which both parties accepted. (The UN had also
offered its good offices; and Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Nicaragua had offered medi-
ation.) Fighting ended, but El Salvador refused to withdraw from Honduran territory.
On July 30 the OAS passed additional resolutions calling on El Salvador to withdraw,
which the Salvadorans accepted, and on October 30, 1980, El Salvador and Honduras
signed the General Treaty of Peace. The treaty delimited the border where there was
no disagreement and agreed to International Court of Justice (ICJ) resolution of the
rest. The ICJ issued decisions in 1990 and 1992. In 1998 El Salvador and Honduras
signed a border-demarcation treaty.
MID#1190
Dispute Number: 1190
Date(s): July 13, 1976 to August 9, 1976
Participants: 91 Honduras/92 El Salvador
Outcome (and Settlement): Compromise (Negotiated)
Fatalities: 1–25 deaths
Narrative: The border was a long-contested issue between Honduras and El Salvador
and had led to several clashes since the Football War in 1969. Talks in 1972 did not
resolve the border issue, and several clashes followed for the next few years. Then,
on July 13, 1976. shooting broke out in the Sazalapa region near Hacienda Dolores.