Carlos Humberto Romero

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General Carlos Humberto Romero Mena (born February 29, 1924 in Chalatenango) was the President of El Salvador from 1977 until 1979, when he was overthrown in a reformist coup d'état by dissident military officers and civilians. His rule was essentially a de facto military dictatorship in the style of his predecessors. Political unrest increased during the late '70s due to the country's severe socioeconomic inequalities that had gone unaddressed by the government; leftist guerrillas began to attack military targets, and other opponents of the regime called for reform. In response, death squads assassinated or tortured those fingered as "subversives," generally operating under impunity from the military.

The coup that toppled Humberto Romero marked the beginnings of the country's chaotic 12-year civil war. Romero was a member of the National Conciliation Party.

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