HONDURAS. Mesa Grande refugee camp. 1985. When the Salvadoran civil war started (1980), a campaign of massive military operations began to drive out the civilian population living in dangerous rural areas, controlled by guerrila groups. Thousands of civilian have been placed in internal refugee camps and external camps in Honduras, like the Mesa Grande. By 1984, because their situation had become intolerable, the refugees decided to organize themselves, and to help Salvadorian people return to their home villages.