Historical Dictionary of Terrorism Third Edition

122 • CONTRASof the military junta after its defeat in the Falklands war. Beginningin October 1982, the contras were put under U.S. state sponsorship,which provided Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) advisers along withmilitary and humanitarian aid. Due to an ongoing and inconclusivepolitical debate between the Reagan administration and the U.S. Congress,U.S. military aid was cut off in 1984, resumed in 1985, but wasagain cut off after the revelation of the Iran-Contra affair in late 1986.To fulfill a condition for receiving future U.S. aid, on 12 June1985 the contras united in an umbrella organization, the Unidad NicaragüenseOpositora (UNO, Unified Nicaraguan Opposition), whichcomprised the following groups:1. The Fuerza Democrática Nicaragüense (FDN, NicaraguanDemocratic Force), formed out of the September 15th League, theNational Liberation Army, and the Nicaraguan Democratic Union,the latter group originally made up of ex-Sandinistas and other opponentsof the Somoza regime. This group numbered some 18,000 to22,000 members and was led by Adolfo Calero, former head of theNicaraguan Conservative Party. Of the top 56 FDN leaders, about 13were former National Guardsmen and about 26 were former Sandinistas.These forces were based in Honduras and fought in the northof Nicaragua.2. The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias Nicaragüenses (FARN,Nicaraguan Revolutionary Armed Forces), numbering 1,000 fightersled by a former Sandinista, Fernando “El Negro” Chamorro, whohad fought Somoza since 1960. FARN was based in Costa Rica andfought in the south of Nicaragua.3. The Kus Indian Sut Asla Nicaragua Ra (KISAN, or UnitedIndigenous Peoples of Eastern Nicaragua), an alliance of Miskito,Sumo, and Rama Indians and also English-speaking black Creoles,numbering some 4,000 fighters who fought in the northeastern regionof Nicaragua.4. The Coordinatora Opositora Nicaragüense (CON, NicaraguanOpposition Coordinator), was not an armed group but rather the politicalfront organization of political parties, business organizations,and trade unions in exile.Another contra group was the Alianza Revolucionaria Democrática(ARDE, the Nicaraguan Democratic Alliance), numbering 3,000 fightersbased in Costa Rica and led by Alfonso Robello Callejas, once amember of the post-Somoza junta, and Edén Pastora Gómez, former