An Anniversary Steeped in Violence: The 40 Years Since La Guerra within Nicaragua

This past July marked the 40th anniversary of the civil war in Nicaragua between the Sandinista-led revolutionary group and the American-backed Contras. The genesis of the Sandinista movement in Nicaragua is linked to Augusto Cesar Sandino who, between 1927 and 1933, was successful in ousting American influence from Nicaragua. As such, Sandino's legacy is often remembered fondly as the sole reason behind Nicaragua's independence. However, merely a year after gaining independence for his country, Sandino was assassinated on orders given by General Anastasio Samoza. In 1937, Samoza was elected president, thus the reign of over four decades of dictatorship by the Samoza family would ensue. By 1979, a revolutionary group, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), embracing the legacy left by Sandino successfully uprooted the Samoza dynasty, sparking panic within the United States for fear of Nicaragua falling to communism, and this ushering in nearly two decades of brutal civil war. 
 

The Sandinistas were successful in maintaining power after the war, which promised a new era of justice and lawfulness. However, in 2007 FSLN candidate Daniel Ortega is elected president and what should have been the continuation of what the FSLN had fought to restore in the first place, Nicaraguan sovereignty and fairness, resulted in yet another dictatorship ruling over the country. Ortega was re-elected in 2011, after congress agreed to no longer enforce term limits, and yet again in 2016. What the 40th anniversary of La Guerra, as my mom and grandma call it, represents this year is a bitter reminder of what occurred merely one year ago. During the summer of 2018, anti-government protesters took to the streets to fight against the oppression that they have endured for over a decade. The result was a brutal, violent shut down enacted by the government. The ensuing result was more than 300 individuals killed due to police violence and over 100 more facing prison sentences. 
 

From the stories my mom has told me about growing up during the civil war, I infer that, for her and many others like her, there is little worth celebrating about the anniversary that resulted in bloodshed and immense grief. 

The information gathered here was pulled from this BBC Article and a little bit from my mom.

Thank you for reading.