Following the 1969
Football War between
El Salvador and Honduras, the
Organization of American States (OAS) negotiated a ceasefire that established an OAS-monitored
demilitarized zone (DMZ) three kilometers wide on each side of the border. When the
Salvadoran Civil War began, many villages, including the
hamlet Las Aradas, were abandoned and camps were formed within the DMZ on the Honduran side of the border to avoid harassment from the military, as well as the
National Guard and paramilitary
Organización Democrática Nacionalista (ORDEN), which did not cross the border. The Honduran government became concerned with Salvadoran refugees residing in Honduras, one of the causes of the Football War. The Salvadoran government believed these camps were being used by FMLN guerrillas, partly based on the membership of many peasants within the DMZ in the Federación de Trabajadores del Campo, a political organization promoting
agrarian reform and seen by the Salvadoran government as supporting the guerillas. In the last two weeks of March 1980, the Honduran government pressured refugees to return to El Salvador; a group returned to Las Aradas. Following their return, twice National Guard and ORDEN troops advanced on Las Aradas, and twice the refugees fled across the river. On May 5, Honduran and Salvadoran military leaders met on the border to discuss how to prevent Salvadoran guerillas from entering Honduras. A few days later, the Honduran government pressured refugees to return to Las Aradas, and some did. On May 13, Salvadoran forces consisting of Military Detachment No. 1, the National Guard and ORDEN commenced an anti-guerilla operation. From several points, including the nearby village of
Las Vueltas, they converged on Las Aradas, clashing with guerillas many times. Also on May 13, 150 Honduran soldiers belonging to the 12th Battalion, based in
Santa Rosa de Copán, arrived in
Santa Lucía, Honduras, and
San José, Honduras, near the Sumpul River and prevented the refugees from crossing the border. ==Massacre==