Edén Pastora
Encyclopedia
Edén Atanacio Pastora Gómez (born in Ciudad Darío
January 22, 1937) is a Nicaraguan politician and former guerrilla who ran for president as the candidate of the Alternative for Change
(AC) party in the 2006 general elections
. In the years prior to the fall of the Somoza regime, Pastora was the leader of the Southern Front, the largest militia in southern Nicaragua, second only to the FSLN (Sandinista National Liberation Front) in the north. Pastora was nicknamed Comandante Cero ("Commander Zero").
His group was the first to call itself "Sandinistas", and was also the first to accept an alliance with the FSLN, the group that was to become more popularly identified by the name. At the end of 1982, a few years after the revolutionary victory, Pastora became disillusioned with the government of the FSLN, and formed the Democratic Revolutionary Alliance
(ARDE) with the object of confronting the "pseudo-Sandinistas" politically and militarily.
As of 2010, he is reconciled with the FSLN and holds a ministerial post in the government of Daniel Ortega
. His role in a boundary dispute with Costa Rica
and allegations of environmental damage to territory claimed by that country has led to legal indictment by the government of Costa Rica.
's National Guard. While in high school with the Jesuits in Granada, he first learned about Augusto César Sandino
through his Panamanian history teacher. He began his rebel career when he decided that the government of Anastasio Somoza Debayle
was corrupt and formed the southern Nicaraguan ARDE from local peasant farmers (called campesinos) and aboriginal tribes living according to more traditional ways.
Pastora allied himself with the FSLN in the mid 1960s. He became a rebel guerrilla and was the mastermind behind the August 1978 standoff in the Nicaraguan National Palace, in which he and a 19-strong Commando of FSLN operatives, disguised as members of Somoza's National Guard, stormed the Palace, disarming or killing the real Nicaraguan National Guard members in the process. Among the hostages taken were members of the Nicaraguan Congress, which was in session at the time of the attack, and Somoza's half brother, José Somoza. Members of the commando used numbers as codenames, with Pastora as Zero, and Dora Maria Tellez
as Commander "two" leading to a lasting identification of Eden as Comandante Cero and Dora Maria as Commander "two".
The operation was famed as having infuriated Somoza and was considered one of the turning points in the insurgency. Originally organised to free FSLN members imprisoned by the regime — among the prisoners being Daniel Ortega
and Tomas Borge — the raid marked an uncontested victory for the FSLN, whether viewed in financial, political, or military terms. After negotiating a USD
$500,000 deal with Somoza and Cardinal Miguel Obando
, Pastora, Ortega and other released prisoners left for Cuba
where he claimed to have been a "prisoner" lavished with women and luxury, but not allowed to leave the country until Martin, the son of then Panama
nian strongman Omar Torrijos
(His son, Martin Torrijos, is the ex-president of Panama) and Pastora's personal friend, voiced his concern and went to Cuba to rescue him personally.
Pastora was put in command of the FSLN's Southern Front, advancing on the town of Rivas from bases in Costa Rica. In reaction to Pastora's widely held reputation, Somoza sent his best troops against him and as a consequence the Southern Front made little headway while suffering heavy casualties. However, the Southern Front contributed to the Sandinista victory by tying down over 2,000 heavily equipped Nicaraguan National Guard forces, as Somoza remained fixated on stopping Pastora, even as major cities fell to the rebels.
; he felt the leadership was doing too little to benefit the campesinos and aboriginal tribes he represented, and was overly concerned with propagating ideological consistency in a poorly concealed bid to consolidate Ortega's political power. Consequently, Pastora turned against the Sandinista regime to fight against it. He once again began military operations in southern Nicaragua, loosely federated with northern forces which, composed of Miskito Indians, other displaced peoples and former National Guard members, were collectively referred to as the Contras. From a military standpoint, Pastora's efforts contributed much less than did forces in the north. Pastora also received less support from the U.S. government; whether his performance was a result or cause of this disparity is subject to debate. Military achievements aside, his reputation as a Nicaraguan patriot meant that his opposition to the Sandinistas was valid, however it was a small contribution in the anti-Sandinista opposition forces. Despite the lack of military might of the ARDE, the presence of Pastora, a former FSLN revolutionary hero, among the Contras, helped the public image of the Contras and provided a sort of public-relations counterweight to the bad reputation accorded to the FDN faction (mostly led by ex-National-Guard "Somocistas"). In 1984, Pastora was apparently the intended target of the La Penca bombing
, which killed four people at a press conference he was holding. He was seriously wounded.
Pastora was reviled by John Hull
, Oliver North
, the CIA, and other Reagan
-era insiders for his refusal to subordinate to the CIA-backed FDN
. This ultimately led to the CIA cutting off aid to the ARDE. Later, when the Iran-Contra scandal broke out and widespread allegations of Contra drug trafficking emerged, the CIA attempted to lay all the blame for any and all Contra drug trafficking at the feet of Pastora. Those who investigated the scandal concluded that it was highly unlikely that Pastora's ARDE was the only Contra faction involved in drug trafficking.
on the San Juan River
along the border with Costa Rica.
He was seen at a Sandinista demonstration over the slow certification of winners in the November 5, 2000 municipal elections.
Alvaro Pardo made a documentary about Pastora in 2006 called Edén Pastora - Commandante Cero. It portrays Pastora's return to the political arena of Nicaragua
when he was nominated as a candidate for the mayor of Managua
.
Pastora ran for president in the general election of 2006
. He finished in fifth place, with 0.29% of the vote. In 2008, Pastora announced that he had become reconciled with the current FSLN and pledged support for the government of Daniel Ortega. He is quoted as saying, "this government is making a revolution, one-eyed or lame, but it is a revolution." As of 2010, he holds the title of Minister of Development of the Rio San Juan Basin.
In November 2010, in perhaps the most publicized Costa Rican arrest warrant issued in years, prosecutors in northern Caribbean canton of Pococí announced that Pastora, now 73 years old, has been indicted for severe environmental damage caused in the eastern Limón province
near the Río San Juan
that the Republic of Nicaragua claims to be a part of their territory. Pastora (and the Nicaraguan Government) based his arguments not on official cartography maps but on faulty border information obtained from Google Maps
. Pastora and his soldiers invaded the Caleros Island in order to create a channel connecting the San Juan River with the Atlantic Ocean. The government of Costa Rica, which disputes ownership of the island with Nicaragua, holds that this has caused irreparable ecological destruction.
Following this endeavor, the media exposure it has given Pastora, and the diplomatic scandal arising from his invasion, it is believed that he will pursue a candidacy for president in Nicaragua.
Ciudad Darío
Ciudad Darío is a municipality in the Matagalpa department of Nicaragua. It is the birthplace of poet Rubén Darío.Previously known as Metapa and Chocoyos even before that, Ciudad Darío is located 90 km from Managua...
January 22, 1937) is a Nicaraguan politician and former guerrilla who ran for president as the candidate of the Alternative for Change
Alternative for Change
Alternative for Change , formerly known as "Christian Alternative," is a Nicaraguan political party.It was founded by dissidents from the Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path , most notably Orlando Tardencilla...
(AC) party in the 2006 general elections
Nicaraguan general election, 2006
Nicaragua held a general election on 5 November 2006. The country's voters went to the polls to elect a new President of the Republic and 90 members of the National Assembly, all of whom will serve five-year terms...
. In the years prior to the fall of the Somoza regime, Pastora was the leader of the Southern Front, the largest militia in southern Nicaragua, second only to the FSLN (Sandinista National Liberation Front) in the north. Pastora was nicknamed Comandante Cero ("Commander Zero").
His group was the first to call itself "Sandinistas", and was also the first to accept an alliance with the FSLN, the group that was to become more popularly identified by the name. At the end of 1982, a few years after the revolutionary victory, Pastora became disillusioned with the government of the FSLN, and formed the Democratic Revolutionary Alliance
Democratic Revolutionary Alliance
The Democratic Revolutionary Alliance were the Southern Front guerrillas in Nicaragua that fought against the Marxist elements of the original Sandinista Revolution in 1979...
(ARDE) with the object of confronting the "pseudo-Sandinistas" politically and militarily.
As of 2010, he is reconciled with the FSLN and holds a ministerial post in the government of Daniel Ortega
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
. His role in a boundary dispute with Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and allegations of environmental damage to territory claimed by that country has led to legal indictment by the government of Costa Rica.
Sandinista
The seed for Pastora's revolutionary spirit was sown at the age of seven, when his father was assassinated by the Chief of Staff of Anastasio Somoza GarciaAnastasio Somoza García
Anastasio Somoza García was officially the President of Nicaragua from 1 January 1937 to 1 May 1947 and from 21 May 1950 to 29 September 1956, but ruled effectively as dictator from 1936 until his assassination.-Biography:Somoza was born in San Marcos, Carazo Department in Nicaragua, the son of...
's National Guard. While in high school with the Jesuits in Granada, he first learned about Augusto César Sandino
Augusto César Sandino
Augusto Nicolás Calderón Sandino was a Nicaraguan revolutionary and leader of a rebellion against the U.S. military occupation of Nicaragua between 1927 and 1933...
through his Panamanian history teacher. He began his rebel career when he decided that the government of Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Anastasio Somoza Debayle was a Nicaraguan leader and officially the 73rd and 76th President of Nicaragua from 1 May 1967 to 1 May 1972 and from 1 December 1974 to 17 July 1979. As head of the National Guard, he was de facto ruler of the country from 1967 to 1979...
was corrupt and formed the southern Nicaraguan ARDE from local peasant farmers (called campesinos) and aboriginal tribes living according to more traditional ways.
Pastora allied himself with the FSLN in the mid 1960s. He became a rebel guerrilla and was the mastermind behind the August 1978 standoff in the Nicaraguan National Palace, in which he and a 19-strong Commando of FSLN operatives, disguised as members of Somoza's National Guard, stormed the Palace, disarming or killing the real Nicaraguan National Guard members in the process. Among the hostages taken were members of the Nicaraguan Congress, which was in session at the time of the attack, and Somoza's half brother, José Somoza. Members of the commando used numbers as codenames, with Pastora as Zero, and Dora Maria Tellez
Dora María Téllez
Dora María Téllez is a Nicaraguan historian most famous as an icon of the Sandinista Revolution, which deposed the Somoza regime in 1979...
as Commander "two" leading to a lasting identification of Eden as Comandante Cero and Dora Maria as Commander "two".
The operation was famed as having infuriated Somoza and was considered one of the turning points in the insurgency. Originally organised to free FSLN members imprisoned by the regime — among the prisoners being Daniel Ortega
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
and Tomas Borge — the raid marked an uncontested victory for the FSLN, whether viewed in financial, political, or military terms. After negotiating a USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$500,000 deal with Somoza and Cardinal Miguel Obando
Miguel Obando y Bravo
Miguel Obando y Bravo is a Nicaraguan prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the Archbishop of Managua from 1985 until his resignation on 12 March 2005. On 25 May 1985, he was selected by Pope John Paul II to be cardinal in Central America...
, Pastora, Ortega and other released prisoners left for Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
where he claimed to have been a "prisoner" lavished with women and luxury, but not allowed to leave the country until Martin, the son of then Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
nian strongman Omar Torrijos
Omar Torrijos
Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera was the Commander of the Panamanian and National Guard and the de facto leader of Panama from 1968 to 1981...
(His son, Martin Torrijos, is the ex-president of Panama) and Pastora's personal friend, voiced his concern and went to Cuba to rescue him personally.
Pastora was put in command of the FSLN's Southern Front, advancing on the town of Rivas from bases in Costa Rica. In reaction to Pastora's widely held reputation, Somoza sent his best troops against him and as a consequence the Southern Front made little headway while suffering heavy casualties. However, the Southern Front contributed to the Sandinista victory by tying down over 2,000 heavily equipped Nicaraguan National Guard forces, as Somoza remained fixated on stopping Pastora, even as major cities fell to the rebels.
Contra
Pastora became disenchanted with the turn of the revolution when most of the Sandinista leaders moved to the luxury residences of ManaguaManagua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
; he felt the leadership was doing too little to benefit the campesinos and aboriginal tribes he represented, and was overly concerned with propagating ideological consistency in a poorly concealed bid to consolidate Ortega's political power. Consequently, Pastora turned against the Sandinista regime to fight against it. He once again began military operations in southern Nicaragua, loosely federated with northern forces which, composed of Miskito Indians, other displaced peoples and former National Guard members, were collectively referred to as the Contras. From a military standpoint, Pastora's efforts contributed much less than did forces in the north. Pastora also received less support from the U.S. government; whether his performance was a result or cause of this disparity is subject to debate. Military achievements aside, his reputation as a Nicaraguan patriot meant that his opposition to the Sandinistas was valid, however it was a small contribution in the anti-Sandinista opposition forces. Despite the lack of military might of the ARDE, the presence of Pastora, a former FSLN revolutionary hero, among the Contras, helped the public image of the Contras and provided a sort of public-relations counterweight to the bad reputation accorded to the FDN faction (mostly led by ex-National-Guard "Somocistas"). In 1984, Pastora was apparently the intended target of the La Penca bombing
La Penca bombing
The "La Penca bombing" refers to a bomb attack on May 30, 1984, in the guerilla outpost of La Penca in Nicaragua, near the Costa Rican border. The bomb attack occurred during a press conference being conducted by Edén Pastora, a Contra leader, who is presumed to have been the target...
, which killed four people at a press conference he was holding. He was seriously wounded.
Pastora was reviled by John Hull
John Hull
John C. Hull is a Professor of Derivatives and Risk Management at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.He is both a very well respected researcher in the academic field of quantitative finance , and also the author of two books on financial derivatives that have become...
, Oliver North
Oliver North
Oliver Laurence North is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, political commentator, host of War Stories with Oliver North on Fox News Channel, a military historian, and a New York Times best-selling author....
, the CIA, and other Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
-era insiders for his refusal to subordinate to the CIA-backed FDN
Nicaraguan Democratic Force
The Nicaraguan Democratic Force 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 Somoza Debayle...
. This ultimately led to the CIA cutting off aid to the ARDE. Later, when the Iran-Contra scandal broke out and widespread allegations of Contra drug trafficking emerged, the CIA attempted to lay all the blame for any and all Contra drug trafficking at the feet of Pastora. Those who investigated the scandal concluded that it was highly unlikely that Pastora's ARDE was the only Contra faction involved in drug trafficking.
Today
Pastora since opened a shark fishing business in San Juan del NorteSan Juan del Norte
San Juan de Nicaragua, formerly known as San Juan del Norte and known in English as Greytown, is a town and municipality in the Río San Juan department of Nicaragua.-Geography:...
on the San Juan River
San Juan River (Nicaragua)
The San Juan River , also known as El Desaguadero , is a 192.06 km river that flows east out of Lake Nicaragua into the Caribbean Sea. A large section of the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica runs on the right bank of the river...
along the border with Costa Rica.
He was seen at a Sandinista demonstration over the slow certification of winners in the November 5, 2000 municipal elections.
Alvaro Pardo made a documentary about Pastora in 2006 called Edén Pastora - Commandante Cero. It portrays Pastora's return to the political arena of Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
when he was nominated as a candidate for the mayor of Managua
Managua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
.
Pastora ran for president in the general election of 2006
Nicaraguan general election, 2006
Nicaragua held a general election on 5 November 2006. The country's voters went to the polls to elect a new President of the Republic and 90 members of the National Assembly, all of whom will serve five-year terms...
. He finished in fifth place, with 0.29% of the vote. In 2008, Pastora announced that he had become reconciled with the current FSLN and pledged support for the government of Daniel Ortega. He is quoted as saying, "this government is making a revolution, one-eyed or lame, but it is a revolution." As of 2010, he holds the title of Minister of Development of the Rio San Juan Basin.
In November 2010, in perhaps the most publicized Costa Rican arrest warrant issued in years, prosecutors in northern Caribbean canton of Pococí announced that Pastora, now 73 years old, has been indicted for severe environmental damage caused in the eastern Limón province
Limón Province
Limón is one of seven provinces in Costa Rica. The majority of its territory is situated in the country's Caribbean lowlands, though the southwestern portion houses part of an extensive mountain range known as the Cordillera de Talamanca...
near the Río San Juan
Río San Juan
Río San Juan may refer to* Río San Juan , Nicaragua* Río San Juan, Dominican Republic* Río San Juan, north-eastern Venezuela* Río San Juan , Mexico...
that the Republic of Nicaragua claims to be a part of their territory. Pastora (and the Nicaraguan Government) based his arguments not on official cartography maps but on faulty border information obtained from Google Maps
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
. Pastora and his soldiers invaded the Caleros Island in order to create a channel connecting the San Juan River with the Atlantic Ocean. The government of Costa Rica, which disputes ownership of the island with Nicaragua, holds that this has caused irreparable ecological destruction.
Following this endeavor, the media exposure it has given Pastora, and the diplomatic scandal arising from his invasion, it is believed that he will pursue a candidacy for president in Nicaragua.