Daniel
Ortega, was born in La Libertad, Nicaragua,
in 1946. Both his parents were staunch opponents of the dictatorship
of Anastasio
Somoza
and had suffered periods of imprisonment. As
a young man his hero was Augusto Sandino,
a guerrilla leader murdered by Somoza.
In
1963 Ortega joined the Sandinista National
Liberation Front (FSLN). Ortega eventually became head of the
urban resistance but he was arrested and imprisoned in 1967.
On
27th December, 1974, a group of FSLN guerrillas seized the home of
a government official and kidnapped a group of important figures close
to Anastasio Somoza Debayle. These men were later exchanged for Ortega
and thirteen other Sandinista prisoners who were flown to Cuba.
The
FSLN's prestige increased after this successful operation. In 1975
Anastasio Somoza Debayle ordered a violent and repressive campaign
against the FSLN. It killed a large number of guerrillas including
one of its founders, José
Carlos Fonseca Amador.
Anastasio
Somoza Debayle's
regime received a set-back with the election of President Jimmy
Carter in the
United States. Carter announced he was only
willing to provide aid to the government of Nicaragua if it improved
its human rights record.
On 10th January, 1978,
Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal, the publisher of the La
Prensa newspaper and a strong opponent of the government,
was assassinated. Evidence was uncovered that the publisher had been
killed by Somoza's son and members of the National Guard. On 23rd
January a nationwide strike began and the workers demanded an end
to the military dictatorship.
In November 1978 the Organization
of American States on Human Rights published a report charging the
National Guard with numerous violations of human rights. The report
was followed by a United Nations resolution
condemning the Nicaraguan government.
Anastasio
Somoza Debayle refused
to leave office and various organizations, including the Sandinista
National Liberation Front,
Los Doce, the PLI, and the Popular Social Christian Party formed the
National Patriotic Front. In June a provisional government in exile
was established in Costa Rica. The FSLN continued its guerrilla activities
and it gradually gained control of most of Nicaragua.
On 17th July, 1979, Anastasio
Somoza Debayle
resigned and fled to the
United States. Ortega joined the Junta for National Reconstruction
and in 1984 FSLN won the elections. The following year Ortega became
president of Nicaragua.
Funded by the United
States, the Contra rebels refused to accept the election of Ortega.
His government's power also suffered from economic sanctions imposed
by President Ronald
Reagan. It was
later discovered that the United States had attempted to damage the
economy by the mining of Nicaragua's harbours.
In the 1990 elections the
FSLN lost the elections to the UNO (Union of National Opposition).
Ortega was replaced as president by Violeta Chamorro. Ortega left
office with the words: "We leave victorious because we Sandinistas
have spilled blood and sweat not to cling to government posts, but
to bring Latin America a little dignity, a little social justice."
Ortega and his FSLN also
lost the elections in 1996 and 2001.
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