Contras

The contras is the name given to the rebel groups that were active from 1979 through to the early 1990s. They were against the Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction government in Nicaragua. 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. During the war, the Contras' tactics included terrorism and human rights violations against civilians.

From an early stage, the rebels received financial and military support from the U.S. government. President Ronald Reagan supported the group. After the U.S. support was banned by Congress, the Reagan administration secretly gave them money from profit they gained after selling weapons to Iran. These secret activities soon became known as the Iran–Contra affair.

Related pages
 Iran-Contra affair
 ISIS
 Communism
 Cold War

Other websites
Confessions of a Contra: How the CIA Masterminds the Nicaraguan Insurgency by The New Republic, 5 August 1985
"The Contras' Valley Forge: How I View the Nicaragua Crisis", by Enrique Bermúdez (with Michael Johns), Policy Review magazine, Summer 1988.
The Contras and U.S. Funding from the Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archives
U.S. Policy Towards the Contras from the Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archives

Category:20th century in Nicaragua
Category:Cold War
Category:Presidency of Ronald Reagan
Category:Rebellions in North America
Category:Wars involving the United States