The Democratic Revolutionary Alliance ( es, Alianza Revolucionaria Democrática, links=no or ''ARDE'') were the Southern Front guerrillas in

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

that fought against the Marxist elements of the original

Sandinista The Sandinista National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, FSLN) is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after Augusto C� ...

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

in 1979. Despite being one of the

Contra Contra may refer to: Places * Contra, Virginia * Contra Costa Canal, an aqueduct in the U.S. state of California * Contra Costa County, California * Tenero-Contra, a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland ...

forces, they maintained an ideological distance from the U.S.-backed

Nicaraguan Democratic Force The Nicaraguan Democratic Force (', or FDN) was one of the earliest Contra groups, formed on August 11, 1981 in Guatemala City. It was formed to oppose Nicaragua's revolutionary Sandinista government following the 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somo ...

( Contras).

Formation

Formed by

Edén Pastora Edén Atanacio Pastora Gómez (November 15, 1936 or January 22, 1937 – June 16, 2020) was a Nicaraguan politician and guerrilla who ran for president as the candidate of the Alternative for Change (AC) party in the 2006 general elections. I ...

Gómez in 1982, it united his Sandino Revolutionary Front (FRS) with such groups as the

Nicaraguan Democratic Movement The Nicaraguan Democratic Movement (Movimiento Democrático Nicaragüense - MDN) is a right-wing Nicaraguan political party with social democratic ideology. The MDN was formed in 1978 and re-registered in 1989. MDN was the first Contra party give ...

(MDN), MISURASATA and FARN. A.R.D.E. quickly gained momentum in the southeast of Nicaragua. The San Juan River was "liberated" by ARDE, and five strategic bases were formed, including Sarapiquí and La Penca. Pastora's leadership can charitably be described as mercurial. Planes, helicopters, weapons and food supplies meant for combatants risking their lives frequently were sold to third parties. Organizational chaos reigned, as Pastora feared that institutional structures could pose a counterweight and threat to his charisma-based leadership.

Activities in the 1980s

As ARDE's regional field commanders penetrated deeper and deeper into Nicaragua they became increasingly frustrated at the squandering of resources, the constant bickering with other factions of the armed struggle against the alleged communist dictatorship, and Pastora's erratic directives. In 1985, other rebel groups, including former ARDE political head

Alfonso Robelo Luis Alfonso Robelo Callejas (born October 11, 1939),is a Nicaraguan businessman, was the founder of the Nicaraguan Democratic Movement (MDN). Early life and education Luis Alfonso Robelo Callejas was born in Leon, Nicaragua on October 11, ...

, formed the

United Nicaraguan Opposition The United Nicaraguan Opposition (''Unidad Nicaragüense Opositora'', UNO) was a Nicaraguan rebel umbrella group formed in 1985, led by the triumvirate of Adolfo Calero, Alfonso Robelo, and Arturo Cruz. However, the great majority of UNO's milita ...

umbrella group.

Fernando "El Negro" Chamorro Fernando Chamorro Rappaccioli (1933 – September 6, 1994), known as "El Negro" ("Blackie") for his dark complexion, was a longtime Nicaraguan rebel fighting both the Somoza and Sandinista regimes. Efforts to build a Contra Southern Front around hi ...

of the UNO-aligned FARN sought to win over ARDE commanders, and in November, ARDE units encountered

(FDN) elements moving down from the north. Six southern front regional commanders led by Navegante (

Nueva Guinea Nueva Guinea () is a town and a municipality in the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region of Nicaragua. Nueva Guinea was founded in the 1960s and saw significant growth in the early 1970s as the US Peace Corps helped to move families from the ...

), Ganso (

El Rama Rama is a municipality and a city in the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region of Nicaragua.
Inifom ...

), and Leonel ( Chontales Department, Chontales) deposed the mercurial Comandante Cero in early 1986 and forged battlefield alliances with their other guerrillas from the FDN such as Franklyn and Apache. This led to both their greatest battlefield successes and a renewal of American aid.

Current activities

After the 1990 elections, the Sandinistas were relegated to secondary status and a shaky democracy took hold. The Southern Front Contras continue their fight, and as of 2004 finally gained title to viable farmland in the vicinity of El Rama.

External links

"Human Rights Abuses by Sandinistas in south of Nicaragua"
James LeMoyne 1987 ''New York Times''

''New York Times''
"The War Ends—Where is Peace?"

Notes

{{reflist, 2 Guerrilla movements in Latin America History of Nicaragua Anti-communism Paramilitary organizations based in Nicaragua Organizations of the Nicaraguan Revolution