What America did
From the beginning, the Contras were financially and militarily supported by the United States government through the CIA under the Reagan Doctrine. Eventually the CIA would get direct operational control of the war. The U.S. government chose to support the rebels because they opposed the FSLN who had ties to Cuba and the Soviet Union, and because they were not democratic. President Ronald Reagan even viewed them as Communists. Nicaragua had the theory that the Contras were formed by the United States, but evidence had proved this theory to be incorrect. Eventually, U.S. funding to the rebel forces was prohibited by Congress under the Boland Amendment, which was meant to limit funding to the Contras after discovering reports of human rights violations committed by them. However, the Reagan administration began to secretly support the Contras and provide arms to Iran. This scandal became known as the Iran-Contra Affair. A month before the scandal broke out, Congress had reinstated the use of financial and military aid to the Contras.
From the beginning, the Contras were financially and militarily supported by the United States government through the CIA under the Reagan Doctrine. Eventually the CIA would get direct operational control of the war. The U.S. government chose to support the rebels because they opposed the FSLN who had ties to Cuba and the Soviet Union, and because they were not democratic. President Ronald Reagan even viewed them as Communists. Nicaragua had the theory that the Contras were formed by the United States, but evidence had proved this theory to be incorrect. Eventually, U.S. funding to the rebel forces was prohibited by Congress under the Boland Amendment, which was meant to limit funding to the Contras after discovering reports of human rights violations committed by them. However, the Reagan administration began to secretly support the Contras and provide arms to Iran. This scandal became known as the Iran-Contra Affair. A month before the scandal broke out, Congress had reinstated the use of financial and military aid to the Contras.
How did Nicaragua react?
When the Contras released the eighty prisoners of war back in 1987, only twenty of those prisoners wanted to return to Nicaragua. Many of them supported the Contras and opposed the Sandinistas. Many Nicaraguans opposed the Sandinistas. They claimed that they are "suffocating the young people" and that they will never "democratize Nicaragua". It seems like the Contras did not get the attention of the people with their human rights violations, but with their conflicting views of the FSLN, in which they were viewed in a somewhat positive way.
How America responded
The people that were effected by their violations got America's attention instead. Several reports were released stating the violations committed by the Contras. Congress viewed these reports as threats to congressional support. As a result, official Contra leadership sent a letter to Congress addressing the violations of human rights stating that they were violated by certain individuals within the rebel forces (see Events for more details). This was the result of the actions conducted by the victims of the Contras violations. They reported the situations, and America responded to their reaction. The Contra War was very unknown to the world because it was a very secretive war.
When the Contras released the eighty prisoners of war back in 1987, only twenty of those prisoners wanted to return to Nicaragua. Many of them supported the Contras and opposed the Sandinistas. Many Nicaraguans opposed the Sandinistas. They claimed that they are "suffocating the young people" and that they will never "democratize Nicaragua". It seems like the Contras did not get the attention of the people with their human rights violations, but with their conflicting views of the FSLN, in which they were viewed in a somewhat positive way.
How America responded
The people that were effected by their violations got America's attention instead. Several reports were released stating the violations committed by the Contras. Congress viewed these reports as threats to congressional support. As a result, official Contra leadership sent a letter to Congress addressing the violations of human rights stating that they were violated by certain individuals within the rebel forces (see Events for more details). This was the result of the actions conducted by the victims of the Contras violations. They reported the situations, and America responded to their reaction. The Contra War was very unknown to the world because it was a very secretive war.