1983: Contra Rebels Formed in Response to Sandanista Revolution

Under US President Ronald Reagan, the CIA responds to the Sandinista revolution by creating a paramilitary force of ex-National Guardsmen known as the contras. Based in neighboring Costa Rica, the force mounts raids on Nicaragua, attacking schools and medical clinics, raping, kidnapping, torturing, committing massacres, and mining harbors. [The Other Americas Radio, 10/1987; Guardian, 7/26/2000; Media Monitors, 9/24/2001; Walker, 2003]