Secret Anti-Communist Army

The Secret Anti-Communist Army (Ejército Secreto Anticomunista, ESA) was a right-wing paramilitary group that operated in Guatemala and El Salvador during the Guatemalan Civil War. The first documentation of it came from the New York Times on 4 August 1977. It attacked civilians, political opposition, government critics, rebels, insurgents, religious groups, journalists and peasants in order to support the military governments that ruled Guatemala until 1986, when a civilian government headed by President Vinicio Cerezo took over. It claimed to be independent, but it received training and equipment from the government, and was populated by off-duty military personnel. It also shared information with the government, and coordinated attacks with it. Often, the lists of targets were provided by the Minister of the Interior. The connection between the ESA and the military was so obvious that one man, when threatened by the ESA, called a general he knew and asked him whether or not the threats were genuine. When the general confirmed they were, he left. The ESA stopped supporting the government on 14 January 1986. It's last known attack was on 28 December 1989. It is known to have killed 93 people, but probably killed thousands.