Sumpul River massacre

Sumpul River massacre
Part of the Salvadoran Civil War
Mural depicting the Sumpul River massacre
Location	Sumpul River near Las Aradas, Chalatenango, El Salvador
Coordinates	14°07′30″N 88°50′24″W / 14.12500°N 88.84000°W / 14.12500; -88.84000
Date	May 14, 1980
Target	Salvadoran refugees
Attack type	Shooting, mass murder
Deaths	300–600
Perpetrator	El Salvador Military Detachment No. 1 National Guard ORDEN  Honduras 12th Battalion

The Sumpul River massacre (Spanish: masacre del Sumpul^[1]) took place in Chalatenango, El Salvador on May 13, 1980 during the Salvadoran Civil War. Salvadoran Armed Forces and pro-government paramilitaries launched an offensive to disrupt the activities of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN). The offensive created many refugees who were attacked the next day by the Salvadoran forces. The Honduran military prevented them from fleeing into Honduras, and between 300 and 600 refugees died. Both El Salvador and Honduras denied responsibility for the incident. In 1993, the United Nations Truth Commission described the incident as a serious violation of international law.