| Contras | |
|---|---|
 The Nicaraguan contras in 1987 | |
| Leaders | Adolfo Calero Enrique Bermúdez FDN – Commandante Franklin ARDE Frente Sur – Cúpula of 6 Regional Commandantes YATAMA – Commandante Blas Misura – Steadman Fagoth |
| Dates of operation | 1979–1990 |
| Motives | Overthrow the FSLN government of Nicaragua |
| Active regions | All rural areas of Nicaragua with the exclusion of the Pacific Coast, from Río Coco in the north to Río San Juan in the south |
| Ideology | Anti-communism Right-wing populism Nationalism |
| Political position | Right-wing |
| Size | 125,000[citation needed] |
| Allies |  United States (see Iran-Contra Affair) Argentina (see Operation Charly) Brazil Chile Costa Rica El Salvador Honduras Israel Mexico Taiwan[1] |
| Opponents |  FSLN |
| Battles and wars | Major operations at La Trinidad, Rama highway, and Siunalatisha and Bonanza. Numerous government bases overrun throughout Jinotega, Matagalpa, Zelaya Norte, Zelaya Sur, Chontales, and Río San Juan provinces. |
| United States involvement in regime change |
|---|
The Contras (from Spanish: la contrarrevolución, lit. 'the counter-revolution') were the various right-wing rebel groups that were active from 1979 to 1990 in opposition to the Marxist Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction Government in Nicaragua, which had come to power in 1979 following the Nicaraguan Revolution.[2][3] Among the separate contra groups, the Nicaraguan Democratic Force (FDN) emerged as the largest by far. In 1987, virtually all Contra organizations were united, at least nominally, into the Nicaraguan Resistance.
From an early stage, the rebels received financial and military support from the United States government, and their military significance decisively depended on it. After U.S. support was banned by Congress, the Reagan administration covertly continued it. These illegal activities culminated in the Iran–Contra affair.
During their war against the Nicaraguan government, there were numerous examples of Contras committing human rights violations and using terrorist tactics.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Many of these actions were reported to be carried out systematically as a part of the strategy of the Contras.[citation needed][discuss] Organisations that supported the Contras, such as the Reagan administration, argued that the Contras did not deliberately use attacks on civilians to advance their goals.[11] The CIA, which was involved in the creation of Contra groups, argued that the Contras' actions against civilians were a result of "the poor discipline characteristic of irregular forces" instead of an official tactic.[11] The CIA also reported that one Contra leader was executed by the group due to his excessive violence against civilians.[11] The Global Terrorism Database reports that Contras carried out more than 1,300 terrorist attacks.[12]
- ^ Baron, James. "The Cold War History Behind Nicaragua's Break With Taiwan". thediplomat.com. The Diplomat. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ "The Contras Murdering Their Own: A Grisly Retribution | Alicia Patterson Foundation". aliciapatterson.org. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ "The American That Reagan Killed". jacobinmag.com. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ Feldmann, Andreas E.; Maiju Perälä (July 2004). "Reassessing the Causes of Nongovernmental Terrorism in Latin America". Latin American Politics and Society. 46 (2): 101–132. doi:10.1111/j.1548-2456.2004.tb00277.x. S2CID 221247620.
- ^ Greg Grandin; Gilbert M. Joseph (2010). A Century of Revolution. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. p. 89. ISBN 978-0822392859.
- ^ Todd, Dave (26 February 1986). "Offensive by Nicaraguan "Freedom Fighters" May be Doomed as Arms, Aid Dry Up". Ottawa Citizen.
- ^ Albert J. Jongman; Alex P. Schmid (1988). Political Terrorism: A New Guide To Actors, Authors, Concepts, Data Bases, Theories, And Literature. Transaction Publishers. pp. 17–18. ISBN 978-1-41280-469-1.
- ^ Athan G. Theoharis; Richard H. Immerman (2006). The Central Intelligence Agency: Security Under Scrutiny. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 216. ISBN 978-0313332821.
- ^ "Empire Politician - 1980s: U.S. Support for Contra Death Squads in Nicaragua". The Intercept. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ Kinzer, Stephen; Times, Special To the New York (20 February 1986). "Contras' Attacks on Civilians Cited". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ a b c "Atrocities in the Nicaraguan civil war" (PDF). CIA.
- ^ LaFree, Gary; Laura Dugan; Erin Miller (2015). Putting Terrorism in Context: Lessons from the global terrorism database (1 ed.). London and New York: Routledge. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-415-67142-2.
In Nicaragua, Contra groups including the Nicaraguan Democratic Force (FDN), the Democratic Revolutionary Alliance (ARDE), and ultimately the Nicaraguan Resistance umbrella group carried out more than 1,300 terrorist attacks, mostly in opposition to the Sandinista government.