Today in Labor History January 10, 1981: The FMLN launched its first major offensive against the Salvadoran military. As a result, they gained control of the departments of Morazan and Chalatenango. They held onto these regions of El Salvador for most of the civil war. In 1989, it became clear after their “final” offensive, that the government could not defeat them. At this point, the U.S., which had previously supported the government’s genocidal war against the Salvadoran people, began to support negotiations. Over 75,000 people died in the war from 1979-1992, plus another 8,000 disappeared. The United Nations estimated that 85% of all civilian killings during the civil war were committed by government forces and government-supported death squads. The government and death squads also routinely committed kidnapping, torture, and murder of suspected FMLN sympathizers.