Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Dirty War & the Disappeared
In the late 1960s and early ̓70s antigovernment feeling was rife and street protests often
exploded into all-out riots. Armed guerrilla organizations emerged as radical opponents
of the military, the oligarchies and US influence in Latin America. With increasing offi-
cial corruption exacerbating Isabel's incompetence, Argentina found itself plunged into
chaos.
On March 24, 1976, a military coup led by army general Jorge Rafael Videla took con-
trol of the Argentine state apparatus and ushered in a period of terror and brutality.
Videla's sworn aim was to crush the guerrilla movements and restore social order. During
what the regime euphemistically labeled the Process of National Reorganization (known
as 'El Proceso'), security forces went about the country arresting, torturing and killing
anyone on their hit list of suspected leftists.
During the period between 1976 and 1983, often referred to as the Guerra Sucia or
Dirty War, human-rights groups estimate that anywhere from 10,000 to 30,000 people
'disappeared.' Ironically, the Dirty War ended only when the Argentine military attemp-
ted a real military operation: liberating the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) from British
rule.
LAS MADRES DE LA PLAZA DE MAYO
In 1977 after a year of brutal human-rights violations under the leadership of Gen-
eral Jorge Rafael Videla, 14 mothers marched into the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos
Aires. They did this despite the military government's ban on public gatherings and
despite its reputation for torturing and killing anyone it considered dissident. The
mothers, wearing their now-iconic white head scarves, demanded information
about their missing children, who had 'disappeared' as part of the government's ef-
forts to quash political opposition.
The group, which took on the name Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo (The Moth-
ers of Plaza de Mayo), developed into a powerful social movement and was the
only political organization that overtly challenged the military government. Las
Madres were particularly effective as they carried out their struggle under the ban-
ner of motherhood, which made them relatively unassailable in Argentine culture.
Their movement showed the power of women - at least in a traditional role - in Ar-
gentine culture, and they are generally credited with helping to kick-start the rees-
tablishment of the country's civil society.
After Argentina's return to civilian rule in 1983, thousands of Argentines were still
unaccounted for, and Las Madres continued their marches and their demands for
information and retribution. In 1986 Las Madres split into two factions. One group,
known as the Línea Fundadora (Founding Line), dedicated itself to recovering the
