Basque conflict
The Basque conflict, also known as the Spain–ETA conflict, was an armed and political conflict from 1959 to 2011 between Spain and the Basque National Liberation Movement, a group of social and political Basque organizations which sought independence from Spain and France. The movement was built around the separatist organization ETA, which had launched a campaign of attacks against Spanish administrations since 1959. ETA had been proscribed as a terrorist organization by the Spanish, British, French and American authorities at different moments. The conflict took place mostly on Spanish soil, although to a smaller degree it was also present in France, which was primarily used as a safe haven by ETA members. It was the longest running violent conflict in modern Western Europe. It has been sometimes referred to as "Europe's longest war".
| Basque conflict | ||||||||
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| Part of the European separatist movements in the Basque Country | ||||||||
Clockwise, starting at top left: ETA members at the 2006 Gudari Eguna in Oiartzun, Gipuzkoa; the Madrid Airport bombing; a demonstration against ETA in Madrid; pro-ETA graffiti in Pasaia. | ||||||||
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| Belligerents | ||||||||
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Neo-fascist paramilitaries:
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Basque National Liberation Movement:
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| Casualties and losses | ||||||||
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387 Spanish law enforcement agents killed 98 off-duty Spanish soldiers killed 1 French policeman killed 343 civilians killed by ETA (including 23 minors) 2,400 wounded and 1,294 permanently incapacitated. | Total number of casualties is unknown |
140 militants killed by law enforcement agencies 101 killed in a number of criminal cases involving various parties 44 killed due to their own explosives 4,250 wounded ~30,000 arrested | ||||||
| Total number of casualties is disputed (see Casualties) | ||||||||
The terminology is controversial. "Basque conflict" is preferred by Basque nationalist groups, including those opposed to ETA violence. Others, such as a number of Basque academics and historians commissioned to draft a report on the subject by the Basque government, reject the term, seeing it as legitimate state agencies fighting a terrorist group which had been responsible for the vast majority of deaths.
The conflict had both political and military dimensions. Its participants included politicians and political activists on both sides, the abertzale left (Basque nationalist left) and the Spanish government, and the security forces of Spain and France fighting against ETA and other small organizations, usually involved in the kale borroka (Basque youth guerrilla violence). Far-right paramilitary groups fighting against ETA were also active in the 1970s and 1980s.
Although the debate on Basque independence started in the 19th century, the armed conflict did not start until ETA was created in 1959. Since then, the conflict resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 people, including police and security officers, members of the armed forces, Spanish politicians, journalists and civilians and some ETA members. There also were thousands of people injured, dozens kidnapped and a disputed number going into exile, either to flee from the violence or to avoid capture by Spanish or French police or by Europol/Interpol.
On 20 October 2011, ETA announced a "definitive cessation of its armed activity". Spanish premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero described the move as "a victory for democracy, law and reason".