Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García

Brigadier General Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García (24 January 1930[1] – 9 December 2009)[2] was a Guatemalan military officer who served as the 36th President of Guatemala from 1974 until 1978. He was the son of a Norwegian father and a Guatemalan mother.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Laugerud and the second or maternal family name is García.
General
Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García
Official portrait, 1974
36th President of Guatemala
In office
1 July 1974 (1974-07-01) – 1 July 1978 (1978-07-01)
Vice PresidentMario Sandoval Alarcón
Preceded byCarlos Arana Osorio
Succeeded byFernando Romeo Lucas García
Personal details
Born(1930-01-24)24 January 1930
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Died9 December 2009(2009-12-09) (aged 79)
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Alma materUnited States Army Command and General Staff College
ProfessionMilitary officer
Military service
Allegiance Guatemala
Branch/serviceGuatemalan Army
RankGeneral

Biography

Laugerud received part of his military training in the United States, attending classes at Fort Benning, Georgia, and at Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He served as Guatemalan delegate to the Inter-American Defense Board between 1968 and 1970.[3]

Laugerud had been chief of the army staff and defence minister under President Carlos Arana since 1972, then was elected president in a March 1974 vote that was marred by violence and charges of fraud. His candidature had been endorsed by both the military-backed Institutional Democratic Party and the far right National Liberation Movement. During his term, Guatemala experienced a disastrous earthquake in 1976, and had continuing disputes with neighbouring Belize. In 1977, after the Carter administration published a report critical of the human rights situation in Guatemala, Laugerud announced that the country would no longer accept US military aid. Guatemala did in fact receive funds that had already been appropriated for that year, and later turned to other nations, such as Israel, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Taiwan, and Yugoslavia for military aid and arms supplies.[4][5]

Just before the end of his term, Laugerud was also faced with the consequences of a massacre of Kekchi Indians by the military in Panzós, in which 53 unarmed civilians were killed by the Army, and another 47 were wounded.[6]

In 1983, Laugerud and three other ex-presidents were forced to retire from the army.

References
  1. Heads of States and Governments Since 1945, Harris M. Lentz, Routledge, 4 Feb 2014, page 345
  2. "Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García, Leader of Guatemala During '76 Quake, Dies at 79". New York Times. December 11, 2009.
  3. United States. Southern Command. Brigadier General (Ret.) Kjell Laugerud Garcia. February 1976. Digital National Security Archive (DNSA).
  4. "Reorganizacion de los actores del enfrentamiento (1971-1978)" [Reorganization of the actors of the confrontation (1971–1978)] (in Spanish). Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights & Law Program. 17 June 2013. Archived from the original on 18 October 2002. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  5. Rostica, Julieta Carla. "Dictaduras y lógica de dominación en Guatemala (1954 – 1985)" [Dictatorships and logic of domination in Guatemala (1954–1985)] (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  6. "Political Movements and Violence in Central America". assets.cambridge.org. Retrieved August 26, 2017.


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