The Sandinistas began to have major problems in 1981 when a group of Contras, or
counterrevolutionaries began to practice guerilla warfare upon the Sandinista government.
The Contras mainly came from the old National Guard that supported the Samoza government
and was organized by the United States Central Intelligence Agency along with help from
Argentina and Israel.
    Now that the Sandinistas had to focus most of the national budget on combating the Contras,
they had to put their plans of improving Nicaraguan economy aside. When the economy began
to falter again, the Sandinistas lost support from the people. An estimate of $2 billion dollars
was spent in fighting these contras, this was more that the annual GDP for the first five years
the Sandinistas were in power.
    Fighting between the FSLN and the Contras caused the death of of 20,000 and 250,000
refugees were created. Fighting between the Sandinistas and the Contras came to an end in 1990
when the Sandinistas were defeated in the election and Violetta Barrios Chamorro was elected
president of Nicaragua. Chamorro however did keep a a Sandinista as head of the military and
together they were able to disarm the Contras.
 

Home                                                                                                                                 Back