Final - Guatemalan Genocide Flashcards
(44 cards)
what was FAR, ORPA & EGP?
guerrilla groups aimed to topple the government
what does FAR stand for?
Fuerzas Armadas Rebeldes (Rebel Armed Forces)
what does ORPA stand for?
Organización del Pueblo en Armas (Organization of
the Armed People)
what does EGP stand for?
Ejército Guerrillero de los Pobres (Guerrilla Army of the
Poor)
what inspired the formation of FAR?
the Cuban Revolution where Fidel Castro and his followers enter in Havana and take political power in Cuba
what kind of people did FAR consist of?
Very small (Ladino) group capable of limited-scale operations such as car bombings and kidnappings aimed towards political, military, and government figures
where did FAR operate?
Operates in all Ladino-majority areas
what did FAR allow the government to do?
The existence of this small guerrilla group gives the Guatemalan Army /
state the perfect opportunity to increase repression against ladinos
where did ORPA operate?
operates in Indigenous majority areas
what was their goal for ORPA?
Hidden organizing, aims to form a broad coalition of
Ladino workers and Indigenous peasants
who did EGP consist of
Although the “comandancia” (high command of the
guerrilla) is mainly formed by Ladinos, there is a
strong Indigenous presence within the rank-and-file
where did EGP operate
Center of guerrilla operations established in the Ixcán
recently “colonized”
what served as EGP’s inspiration?
Viet Cong’s model of a prolonged war where there is a snowball effect of more people joining and a bigger impact
what are kaibiles
a special operations wing of armed forces of Guatemala (elite troops)
Specialized and highly trained commandoes
what was kaibilization
the process in which training soldiers became worse in brutality (1979)
Underwent extreme forms of training in the jungle of Petén
(Kaibil Inferno
when were kaibiles created
1974
how did the emergence of ORPA and EGP affect kaibiles
caused a Need to develop new forms of “irregular warfare” and
“counterinsurgency tactics” to adapt to the new scenario as well as warfare in more adverse areas
what were some of the extreme forms of training that kaibiles experienced?
getting ambushed, getting beaten routinely, competitions/games amongst each other where winner would torture loser, and practiced torture on civilians, and deprived of food, water, and sleep
original size of kaibiles
600-800
how were kaibiles used during the genocide?
Kaibiles were deployed
together with regular Army patrols in Indigenous-
majority areas designated for scorched earth
campaigns
what happened to kaibiles after the genocide
Most Kaibiles demobilized after Peace Accords (1996)
Many go to Mexico → hired by drug cartels willing
to incorporate “counterinsurgency” tactics to their
repertoire of violent acts
what was the term “indians” used to refer to
referred to all native groups under spanish domination essentially disregarding all differences between the indigenous groups
what indigenous populations were held under this umbrella term “indians”
mayas, xincas, garifunas
what was the reason for the hatred of indians
uncontrolled regions become areas of refuge for displaced Maya communities fleeing the rule of the spaniards and led to the idea of bloodthirsty indians wanting to kill whites/ladinos (come down the mountain armed with machetes)
