The Cinchoneros Popular Liberation Movement (Cinchonero Movimiento Popular de Liberaci&#243;n, or MPL) was one of Honduras's most prominent leftist organizations in the 1980s. The Cinchoneros claimed to represent the country's poor and opposed Honduras' right-wing government, though their revolutionary agenda was never a serious threat. However, the group was connected to other, larger Central American leftist groups, including the Sandinista government in Nicaragua and the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front in El Salvador. The group's senior leaders were reportedly based in Nicaragua for at least part of MPL's existence. While officially a communist group, MPL's most prominent (and popular) aim was the elimination of U.S. influence in Honduras. The name Cinchonero is a reference to a 19th century peasant leader who was killed because of his refusal to pay taxes to the Catholic Church. <P><br /><br />Founded in 1980, the group quickly gained notoriety for a series of hostage-takings and bomb attacks. On March 27th, 1981, the group hijacked a local airliner bound for New Orleans. Demanding the release of 16 El Salvadoran rebels held in Honduras, MPL flew the plane to Nicaragua, where they negotiated a deal to exchange the hostages for the rebels. Another hostage crisis ensued in September 1982, when the group stormed a Chamber of Commerce building and held more than 100 government officials and business leaders. Again MPL demanded the release of left-wing prisoners in Honduran custody. This time, however, the government refused to release any prisoners. The crisis ended with the release of the hostages and the safe passage of the terrorists to Cuba. The group also claimed responsibility for several bomb attacks. <p><br /><br />MPL's early successes sparked a government crackdown for which the group was ill-prepared. The group was nearly wiped out, and its terrorist activities virtually disappeared in the mid 1980s. However, after several quiet years, MPL emerged again the late 1980s. The group was able to draw renewed support among those opposed to an expanded American presence in Honduras -- the American military had increased deployments to Honduras to continue support to Nicaraguan Contra guerrillas who had bases there. Some of the Cinchonero's attacks targeted American military personnel. <P><br /><br />Like other Honduran leftist groups, the Cinchoneros began to fade away after the denouement of the Nicaraguan civil war in the spring of 1990. The Sandinista government that the Contras opposed was defeated in an election, and the Contras returned to Nicaragua. The leadership of the Cinchoneros officially renounced violence in a meeting with top government officials in March 1991. Although a former group member kidnapped a Costa Rican official in 1992, MPL most likely was not involved. All evidence indicates that the group stuck to its peace agreement. <P><br /><br />