Guatemala: 25 years After the Peace Accords

 By Dale Sorensen,  TFA Advisory board

 It is apparent that there is a connection between immigration to the US and noncompliance with the Peace Accords at the end of Guatemala’s civil war. The war ended in 1996 when the accords were signed by the Guatemalan government and the guerrilla leaders of the URNG. The accords were intended to open the door to resolving the many problems that caused the war; including poverty, racism, and social inequities, all of which have plagued Guatemala since the Spanish invasion of 1524 and later the 1954 US-backed coup against democratically elected President Jacobo Arbenz. The 36-year-long civil war ended 25 ago but a lack of hope and opportunities has driven thousands to migrate in search of a better life primarily due to a lack of economic opportunities and government inaction.

When the Peace Accords were signed, new institutions were established to address issues of rural development to address land disparities, and discrimination against women and Indigenous peoples. But in recent years the institutions have come under attack and adherence to agreements has eroded. Connections between the administrations and the military have become common.

Since 1996 successive Guatemalan governments have consolidated and limited the state institutions and far-right politicians have proposed amnesty for soldiers accused of war crimes. Fraud and corruption have become frequent and many of the causes for taking up arms in the 1960s and 1970s are still present today.

Under President Alfonso Portillo (2000-2004) allowed the military to work in collaboration with the newly formed Guatemalan National Civilian Police. Worse was the Perez Molina Administration (2012-2015) allowed the National Reparations Program for victims of the conflict to be underfunded and not executed. Later under the administration of Jimmy Morales (2016-2020) and the current administration of Alejandro Giammattei took further action to limit the accords. Ana Lopez, director of the Guatemalan Council for the Compliance with the Peace Accords, was fired by Giammattei in 2019; he also closed the secretariat of peace and the secretariat of agrarian affairs, created with the intent of guaranteeing compliance with the goals of the accords.

According to the Guatemalan Human Rights Commission, there has been a new wave of violence and attacks against human rights defenders. These attacks have doubled from 2019 to 2020 and surged again in 2021. Victims of attacks on the judicial system have included: Constitutional Court judge Gloria Porras, a specialist in anti-corruption and Juan Francisco Sandoval, chief prosecutor against corruption and impunity. He was fired by the Attorney General and fled the country after implicating the president in corruption.

After the war, many refugees fled to Mexico but after returning, they often found their lands had been taken by other farmers and there was no mechanism to help resolve land disputes. Some immigrants returning years after the war ended reported that conditions had not changed—everything stayed the same. The persistent poverty in rural communities and in Guatemala as a whole reflects the government’s failure to address the needs of the people or the guarantees of the Peace Accords.

Inequalities in government investment are apparent when you compare the amount the state spends on Indigenous communities as opposed to non-Indigenous ones. For every quetzal the state invests in non-Indigenous communities, it invests 45 cents in Indigenous communities.

Life in Guatemala had grown worse for, most of the country’s population in the 25 years since the signing of the peace accords despite overall economic growth; Guatemala has the largest economy in Central America. But low wages contribute to the decision of many to migrate and remittances have continued to increase significantly over the years. The low minimum wage is less than the basic cost of living which is relatively high @$425 per month. Agricultural work pays $355 per month and factory labor starts at $334. There are 2.9 million Guatemalans living in the US sending more than $11 billion to family members.

The refusal to comply, with the accords has resulted in the Indigenous communities being the hardest hit. The civil war left more than 200,000 Guatemalans dead and one million displaced; 83 percent of the victims were Indigenous Maya. These rural communities are now being abandoned even more frequently than any time since the war ended, and poverty is as high as 80 percent. For many, immigration is the only way they can survive.

Sources: The Progressive, December/January 2022; Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA, Winter 2021