In the early 1960's, Guatemala struggled with a civil war due to the inequalities between political and economic life. By the 1970's, Mayans protested the Guatemalan government. They demanded better equality, and they wanted the Mayan culture and language to be included in Guatemala. The Guatemalan army embarks on a program to eliminate "left wingers" which ultimately murders around 50,000 (Genocide, 2014). In 1980, the Guatemalan armies wanted to end rebellion. They created "Operation Sophie" which included guerilla warfare aimed at the Mayans. In 1981, the Guatemalan Genocide had begun. The Guatemalan armies murdered or "disappeared" 200,000 people. (Genocide, 2014) The Guatemalan armies displaced 1.5 million people and 150,000 were forced to go to Mexico to seek safety (Genocide, 2014). In 1982, General Efrain Rios Montt gains a lot of power after a military coup. During his 17 month ruling, many horrible atrocities were committed. By 1983, he declares an amnesty for guerillas after an illegal seizure of power from General Meija Victores. Victores led the revolt against Rios Montt, but despite what Mayans thought, he didn't help to prosecute those who committed war crimes in the past.
In 1986, Guatemala restored their government. Civilian rule and a new constitution were put into place, but the army still held on to it's power. By 1991, Peace talks were set up by the UN. In 1993, they were suspended. By 1994, their work resumed and an accord on human rights was signed by the government. Finally, in 1996, a peace treaty was signed and agreed upon. In July of 1997, the Historical Clarification Commission started investigations on the atrocities committed. In 1999, a report called, "Guatemala: Memory of Silence' was presented. In June 2001, a former head of military intellegience and two more officers were sentenced to 30 years for each person they murdered (Genocide, 2014).