# Efraín Ríos Montt

_Former de facto President of Guatemala, army general, genocida and former president of Congress (1926-2018)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/efrain-rios-montt
Last updated: 2026-11-03

> José Efraín Ríos Montt was a Guatemalan military officer who served as de facto President of Guatemala from 1982 to 1983. His brief tenure as chief executive was one of the bloodiest periods in the long-running Guatemalan Civil War. Ríos Montt's counter-insurgency strategies significantly weakened the Marxist guerrillas organized under the umbrella of the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG), while also leading to accusations of war crimes and acts of genocide perpetrated by the Guatemalan Army under his leadership.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 16 June 1926 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q467077#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Huehuetenango ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q467077#P19))
- **Died:** 1 April 2018 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q467077#P570))
- **Place of death:** Guatemala City ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q467077#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Guatemala ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q467077#P27))
- **Occupation:** politician; Christian minister; military officer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q467077#P106))
- **Political party:** Guatemalan Republican Front ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q467077#P102))
- **Education:** Escuela Politécnica (Guatemala) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q467077#P69))
- **Spouse:** María Teresa Sosa ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q467077#P26))
- **Positions held:** President of the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala (2000–2004); Member of the Congress of Guatemala (12 November 1995 – 14 January 2012); President of the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala (1995–1996); president of Guatemala (23 March 1982 – 8 August 1983) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q467077#P39))
- **Awards:** Order of the Quetzal ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q467077#P166))

## Questions

**When was Efraín Ríos Montt born?**  
Efraín Ríos Montt was born on 16 June 1926 in Huehuetenango.

**What positions has Efraín Ríos Montt held?**  
Positions held by Efraín Ríos Montt include: President of the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala (2000–2004); Member of the Congress of Guatemala (1995–2012); President of the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala (1995–1996); president of Guatemala (1982–1983).

**Where did Efraín Ríos Montt study?**  
Efraín Ríos Montt was educated at Escuela Politécnica (Guatemala).

## Related

- [Ramiro de León Carpio](https://diginpl.com/people/ramiro-de-leon-carpio)
- [Luis Arturo González López](https://diginpl.com/people/luis-arturo-gonzalez-lopez)
- [Alfonso Portillo](https://diginpl.com/people/alfonso-portillo)
- [Otto Pérez Molina](https://diginpl.com/people/otto-perez-molina)
- [Vinicio Cerezo](https://diginpl.com/people/vinicio-cerezo)
- [Alejandro Maldonado](https://diginpl.com/people/alejandro-maldonado)
- [Bernardo Arévalo](https://diginpl.com/people/bernardo-arevalo)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Efraín Ríos Montt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efra%C3%ADn_R%C3%ADos_Montt) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q467077](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q467077) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Retrato oficial de Presidente Efraín Ríos Montt (cropped).jpg by Gobierno de Guatemala (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Retrato_oficial_de_Presidente_Efra%C3%ADn_R%C3%ADos_Montt_(cropped).jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Efraín Ríos Montt, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Retrato oficial de Presidente Efraín Ríos Montt (cropped).jpg — Gobierno de Guatemala, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Efraín Ríos Montt". DigiNepal. Last updated 3 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/efrain-rios-montt. Retrieved 6 November 2026.