Latin America: The Football War

July 14, 1969 - The Football War begins as El Salvador invades Honduras. In the late 1960s, tensions between the two Central American nations increased due to issues regarding immigration and land reform. These resulted in riots during two qualifying matches for the 1970 World Cup as the one nation played the other. Splitting the games, each nation felt a resurgent sense of national pride. As the situation continued to worsen, El Salvador broke off diplomatic relations with Honduras on June 26 and skirmishing began along the border. Early on the morning of July 14, the Salvadoran Air Force attacked targets in Honduras opening the conflict. This was followed by an invasion on the ground. Pushing into Honduras, Salvadoran forces made steady progress before a lack of fuel and ammunition halted their advance. This was largely caused by successful attacks by the Honduran Air Force against logistical targets in El Salvador. Intervening, the Organization of American States was able to negotiate a ceasefire on July 18, which took full effect two days later. Though El Salvador withdrew from Honduran soil on August 2, a final peace settlement would not be concluded until 1980.