The continuing United States military support for Central American armies was the most-debated topic of discussion last night at the meeting of a local peace group.

The first meeting of the year for the DeKalb Interfaith Network for Peace and Justice was highlighted by a presentation concerning the plight of refugees in El Salvador.

Cinny Poppen, midwest coordinator for the Pledge of Resistance, recently returned from a trip to El Salvador where she viewed firsthand the conditions surrounding natives of the country who have been displaced through governmental military manuevers.

“Right now in El Salvador, things are happening very fast,” Poppen said. “There is a mass re-population movement going on that is meeting enormous governmental opposition.”

The re-population consists of about 1,300 Salvadoran refugees who had been pushed out of their villages eight years ago by a policy known as “Draining the Sea to Hatch the Fish.” The policy was designed to rid villages in the nation of Communist sympathizers who had been helping to undermine the El Salvador government.

“Villages were completely leveled in the process, and people were forced to relocate in refugee camps. We were part of a delegation that went to El Salvador to see that the refugees were allowed safe passage home,” Poppen said.

“We were not welcome there, and the military, which is being supported by the U.S., made sure that our attempts in trying to help the refugees were unsuccessful.

“The military presence was very scary,” Poppen added. “We found ourselves being buzzed by army helicopters, airplanes, and being harassed by armed personnel carriers.”

Poppen also told the audience of a four-day army blockade of a road they were traveling to meet the refugees. They were forced to sleep on the ground or on buses in sweltering heat with little food or water.

“The military wanted to be sure that it was understood by all of us that we would not be allowed to see the refugees,” Poppen said. “We never got to see them, but we were informed on the fourth day of our detention that they reached their villages safely.”

Poppen said it was a time of rejoice when they received the news about the refugees reaching their homeland. However, she remains convinced the conflict will not end until military support from the U.S. is halted.

“People in El Salvador became our friends after they realized that we were there to help, but they wanted to know why our government continues to support murderers,” Poppen said.