Nicaragua News Service April 24-30, 1994 Vol. 2, No. 17 by Colleen Littlejohn Major news stories for the week: 1. CST holds third national congress in Esteli 2. Pre-FSLN Congress discussions continue 3. Army offensive in the North 4. Army and President come to an agreement 5. Rainy season begins 6. High tech bank robbery in Managua 7. Nicaraguan officials capture 650 kilos of cocaine 8. Solidarity campaign for Cuba 9. Violeta visits the north Atlantic Coast ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. CST holds third national congress in Esteli The Sandinista Workers Central (CST), the largest labor federation in Nicaragua, held its third national congress last weekend in Esteli with the participation of 275 delegates out of a total of 362 who were accredited to participate in the event. One of the main purposes of the event was to elect the new CST executive committee which will lead the organization of the next three years. Those who expected confrontation between the followers of Lucio Jimenez, current Secretary General and Roberto Gonzalez, president of the Transport Workers Federation, were not disappointed. Gonzalez and his supporters in the Transport and Metal Workers Federation had run an intensive campaign to unseat Jimenez. The majority of the delegates, however, voted for Lucio Jimenez to continue in the job that he has held for more than ten years. He won 221 of the 275 votes cast. Roberto Jimenez, perhaps sensing defeat, did not show up for the vote and was not officially nominated for the position of Secretary General. Others elected were Ronaldo Membrano, Secretary of Organization (260 votes) Alberto Alverez, Financial Secretary (213 votes), Cony Serrato, Secretary for Women's Affairs (170 votes), and Damasco Vargas, Secretary of International Relations (197 votes). Vargas is also a member of the National Assembly. Roberto Gonzalez immediately announced that he would contest the results, adding fuel to the speculation that the CST would divide because of internal differences. However, Gonzalez later denied that there was a danger of division, chalking up the clashes and arguments within the organizations as "electoral campaign activities," much to the disappointment of the Nicaraguan right who had hoped that the CST division would be a prelude to the division of the FSLN as a result of the upcoming FSLN extraordinary congress to be held this month in May. (Barricada 4/25) 2. Pre-FSLN Congress debates continue Much of last week's FSLN debates basically centered around who would be the next Secretary General of the party as some of the major players in the debates began to publicly state who their candidate would be. Barricada, which has been via daily interviews putting all the cards (or at least most of them), on the table, set the tone for the debate with their Sunday headline "Daniel accuses the Sandinistas for the Majority," in which the author reported that Ortega had accused Sergio Ramirez' group of "Somocista tactics." The next day, Barricada retracted its statement, reportedly under pressure, according to El Semanario, from Commandant Bayardo Arce, head of the Board of Directors of the newspaper and a member of the FSLN National Directorate. On Friday, April 29 the legendary Doris Tijerino, whose name is also mentioned for a post on the National Directorate, came out publicly to support the candidacy of Henry Ruiz of Secretary General, stating that the FSLN needed a leadership that would "project us towards the future." She stated that Ruiz was the candidate for unity in the party and that the majority of FSLN militants did not belong to any ideological current or factions. On Saturday, April 30, Barricada ran an interview with Tomas Borge, who proclaimed that he was supporting Daniel Ortega, stating, "Daniel is my ideal for the post of Secretary General." Borge also repeated his aspiration to become President of the FSLN, meaning that the FSLN would take on a directional structure somewhat like the PRI in Mexico. In that position he would presumably be a close advisor and substitute for the Secretary General. In the interview, Borge also stated that he had been approached by several people with the idea of running for Secretary General himself, but he discarded that idea stating that he considered it a "political maneuver to divide the historic leaders of the FSLN." Most interpret his statement as a pressure on Ruiz not to run against Ortega for the top leadership position in the FSLN. Ruiz has not declared himself a candidate, but many members of the FSLN from all ideological "currents" have stated that they would support him as the ideal candidate to guarantee unity within the FSLN. (Barricada 4/25, 4/30) 3. Army offensive in the North Army troops and the Nicaraguan police joined forces last week to chase down the more than 15 irregular armed bands that have penetrated deep into the mountains of northern Nicaragua, after a series of fierce combats which left 30 irregulars and 10 civilians dead. These 15 bands, in the month of April, were responsible for the murder of eight peasants, the kidnaping of eight producers, 12 assaults, 2 robberies, the burning of two farms as well as the burning of eight transport vehicles. The army offensive against these irregular forces began on April 1. The goal of the offensive is to "eradicate" the irregular forces in order to protect agricultural producers and their harvests. The principal zones of action have been Nueva Segovia, Esteli, Matagalpa, Jinotega and Chontales, located in the First, Fifth, and Sixth Regions of the country. The army estimates that there are approximately 35 bands with a total of 550 men in arms. These bands have caused havoc throughout the region, burning trucks and controlling roads, to the point that public and private transport had practically come to a complete halt. As of Sunday, May 2, transportation was operating as normal due to the military operations. Military officials have warned that they will not let up on their campaign to track down the irregular armed groups. "We have begun a crusade without time out against these delinquent bands," stated Major General Joaquin Cuadra. Cuadra is the likely replacement for General Humberto Ortega when he later retires as head of the army. (La Prensa 4/48; Barricada 4/29) 4. Army and President come to an agreement General Ortega and President Chamorro seem to be on better speaking terms lately, ending a seven month chill in relations that began in September of 1993 when Chamorro announced that Ortega would be removed from office in 1994, without specifying a date. Antonio Lacayo, Minister of the Presidency, broke the ice by revealing that the new military law, product of a consensus between the army and the Executive, was ready to be sent to the National Assembly. Lacayo made the announcement at a seminar on civilian-military relations sponsored by the US-based National Endowment for Democracy and by the National Assembly. Lacayo stated, "The pretensions of those who wanted to see that army disappear, or be delegitimized or changed for another army, have been disappointed, as have the pretensions of those who confused subordination with submission of service with being servile." The retirement of General Ortega will be mentioned in a special clause in the law. It is expected that he will retire in the first days of 1995. 5. Rainy season begins Nicaragua cooled off for a couple of days last week, at least weatherwise, as rain began to fall in practically all of the country. Normally, rain begins to fall in the first days of May, but this year began at the end of April. Managua and most of the country have been suffering a major heat wave during the last few weeks. Meteorologists have warned, however, that the "winter" has not officially established, meaning that the amount and timing of the rains are not sufficiently stable so that farmers would be able to plant with confidence. The coming agricultural planting season is the major planting season for the year. Farmers traditionally place their faith in other folk sources of wisdom when it comes to predicting the weather. The majority seem to feel that the winter will be good, but that luck is dampened by the fact that there is scarce credit available to be able to plant. 6. High tech bank robbery in Managua Three armed men, some dressed in military uniforms and others in suits and ties with briefcases, entered the Nicaraguan Development Bank's office in Colonia Centroamerica and less than an hour later took off with a little less than a half million dollars. They stated that they were "an anti-Somocista commando group effectuating an economic recuperation" adding that "this is not a common assault." The men arrived in a brand new luxury model Toyota jeep and upon entering, showed the guard a letter presumably signed by Antonio Lacayo, Minister of the Presidency. The guard told the men that the bank was closed but they insisted on entering telling him that they were there to do banking for Lacayo. The guard relented and the robbers went to the Manager's office, waited until most clients had left the bank, and then proceeded with the true intentions, after having been joined by three more armed men. No violence was reported, except for the use of police force against a Barricada reporter who was shoved and whose camera was taken to expose the film. Barricada made an energetic protest to the police who later officially apologized. The robbers wrote the letters CRAS six times on different walls and desks, announcing to people that the letters signified Revolutionary Anti-Somocista Commandos. The police are undertaking an extensive investigation and reportedly are questioning a person suspected of being involved in the robbery. (La Prensa 4/29) 7. Nicaraguan officials capture 650 kilos of cocaine Early last week Nicaraguan police and army officials, in a dramatic anti-drug offensive on the high sea using helicopters, detained a small boat which was carrying over 650 kilos of pure cocaine. Six persons, the majority of them of Colombian nationality, we arrested. One day later, at the request of the Costa Rican government, the prisoners and the cocaine were released to Costa Rican public security officials, to the surprise of the Nicaraguan public. Nicaraguan Minister of Government Alfredo Mendieta, later stated that the operation had been a joint Nicaraguan-Costa Rican operation. Later in the week, newspapers reported that the police are searching the northern Atlantic Coast for a hidden stash of over 300 kilos of cocaine. 190 kilos of the same shipment had already been recovered and four people arrested a week earlier. Meanwhile, negotiations continue for the establishment of a US Drug Enforcement Agency office in Nicaragua. (Barricada 4/24, 4/30) 8. Solidarity campaign for Cuba Two national solidarity organizations for Cuba in Nicaragua, the National Council and the Cuban Solidarity Coordinating Committee, joined together to launch a joint campaign entitled, Cuba Yes: For the Sick Children. Collection centers for in-kind or cash donations have been set up in Managua and in other regions, to collect medical supplies to sent to the island by the end of May or June. 9. Violeta visits the north Atlantic Coast The UNO government's fourth anniversary was noted with little fanfare this year. At a ceremony at the National Palace in Managua, President Chamorro did announce that the Palace, a place seldom visited with pleasure by Nicaraguans since it was the office of the tax collectors, would soon be transformed into a National Museum. It was announced that the portraits of Carlos Fonseca and General Sandino would be taken down and returned to their owner or hung in the museum. President Chamorro did get out of Managua, however, for a while to visit the North Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAN), in the company of John Maisto, US ambassador to Nicaragua. Also joining her were some of her Ministers and several US scientists and academics. Barricada noted in its report that her visit was an effort of the government to project and strengthen its image on the Coast, and area where US AID has invested considerable sums of money in infrastructure and reforestation projects. The official purpose of her visit was to inaugurate a bridge over the River Licus, a bridge vital for communication between Leimus and Waspam. The bridge was baptized the President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro bridge. According to La Prensa of April 30, AID has financed the repair of over 700 kilometers of roads, 350 bridges and three canals on the Atlantic Coast via state agencies such as the Emergency Social Fund and the Ministry of Natural Resources. The AID program on the Coast is valued at $1.5 million.