NicaNotes

September 10, 2026

By James Phillips

(James Phillips is a cultural anthropologist. He and his wife Lucy Edwards were Witness for Peace team members in Nicaragua in 1985-87. He has returned to Nicaragua many times and has written about various aspects of Nicaragua and its relationship to the U.S.)

My wife Lucy and I lived in Nicaragua (1985-1987) during the Contra War of the 1980s as members of the long-term team of Witness for Peace. Our work was to document the effects of the war in rural communities, to accompany the people however we could, and to arrange for fact finding delegations from the U.S.

The following is taken with a very few edits from my field journal written soon after we investigated the events described below. I tried deliberately to know and write the names of all the victims. They deserve to be remembered, now on the forty-first anniversary of their deaths. (The Reagan Administration was well aware of such events.)

On the morning of December 16, 1985, Lucy and I were in the town of Achuapa. We woke early, and at 7 a.m. two teenage boys, Ivan and Alex, showed up to be our guides for the day. They led us into the hills to the west above Achuapa, along a road, then up a path winding through fields—beautiful country, seemingly serene, cows, corn growing, light breeze, bright sunlight. Finally, we arrived at the house of Doña Zelfida Reyes Casco. Her house had a roof of thatch held up by wooden poles, with walls of rough boards on two sides only. The other sides were open to the elements. Her story I managed to record almost verbatim.

I am 55 years old. I am the daughter of Savino Reyes and Viviana Casco. I was at the river on the morning of August 11 [1985] at 7 a.m. washing clothes. When I returned to my house, my three sons, Tolin (aged 38), Miguel (aged 35), and Guillermo (aged 22) weren’t there. On the ground I saw the military clothes of my son Miguel. He was in the militia for a year but had since left it. I saw Miguel’s papers and books burned in the house. I didn’t know what had happened, but I went to a neighbor’s house down the path. On the way I met a boy who told me that the contras had come. The next day, they found the bodies of my sons. Their bodies had no faces, no hair. It was hard to identify them, but I knew their clothing…and their hands. I left to live in Achuapa. After three months I returned to my house here.

When she stopped speaking, she sat quietly with Lucy and me for a while. Then Zelfida told us that her son Tolin was deaf and was a polio victim who had trouble walking. As we left, I thought, how could we wish this woman, now alone without her sons, a happy Christmas?

With our two guides, we continued along the path that became hillier and rockier. The day was growing hot. We reached Angelica’s house, a simple wooden structure with a dirt floor, like most houses in the area. When we arrived, Angelica was in the middle of chores, but she quickly made us feel as if she had lots of time for us. Lots of children around her; mostly grandchildren we guessed.

Angelica told us she was at home on the morning of August 11 when her daughter-in-law Gregoria came running down the path to Angelica’s house, crying. Gregoria told Angelica, “They took Paulino [Gregoria’s husband]. He told them don’t kill me; I’ll go.” Gregoria said the contra tied Paulino’s hands behind his back and took him away, right in the middle of his breakfast. The following Saturday, Angelica identified Paulino’s body. She told us it had more than a dozen stab wounds and his face was unrecognizable. She knew him by his hands and his clothes. While she talked, she laughed hysterically between tears.

As we left Angelica, Lucy and I and our guides went along the path past the abandoned house where Paulino and Gregoria had lived. Gregoria had since moved to the town of El Sauce. We began the hot, two hour-walk back to Achuapa in the late afternoon. When we arrived, we gave our two young teen guides a few pieces of candy and thanked them. I wondered how they processed what we had seen and heard that day.

The next morning, José Santos, a local farmer, arrived as planned at 6 a.m. to take us farther along the road we had traveled the previous day. After a two-hour walk, we arrived at the house of Marcelino who told us his story.

The contra arrived at my house at 11 a.m. on the morning of August 11, while I was tending my cow outside. They entered by the road. They were wearing clothes of a different color from what the [Sandinista] army wears. They had rifles—AK47s, FALs—mortars and grenades. They struck me, then entered my house. They stole food, clothing, soap, and grains. When I entered the house, they grabbed me, carried me out and forced me to walk with them. [The contra forces used grenades made in Pennsylvania.]

Then I saw more contras coming down from the hills, many more. The one who was in charge said they wanted to destroy anything that was organized in Nicaragua—cooperatives, the CDS, more—and they wanted to frighten us farmers. They made me carry a backpack and a heavy mortar.

We walked around all day, went through El Barro [another comarca along the road] at noon. In the late afternoon we stopped for the night near Quebrada Cayuya, at the place called Chicopipe. The contras gave me only coffee.  They split us into two groups. I recognized some others being held captive together, farmers like me—Bernardo Rocha from El Carrizo, Paulito Cruz from El Cacao, Eliberto Martinez from El Porvenir, Damien Reyes, Jesus Velasquez, others. In the other group I recognized Paulino Velasquez [Angelica’s son] and Victoriano Reyes Arauz from El Cacao, Benedito Osorto from Achuapa, Antolin, Miguel, and Guillermo Reyes Casco [Zelfida’s sons], and Daniel Martinez.

During the night we in my group didn’t sleep. It rained a lot. We could hear the cries and screams of our compañeros in the other group not far away. They were all tortured and killed. At 5 a.m., the contras left us. We returned to our homes.

As Marcelino was telling his story, he began to sob and had to excuse himself for a few minutes. His wife served us hot, fresh tortillas and hot sweet milk. Marcelino told us that he and his family, with their four children, fled to Achuapa after he returned from his kidnapping. His story shows the network of relationships among people of several comarcas, a network of relationships that provided at least a minimum of physical and psychological support for the survivors.

When we left Marcelino and his family, Jose Santos led us to his own parents’ house some distance away, up a hill and across a stream. There we were served hot, fresh coffee. Then, farther up the hill to another house of an older couple who had twelve sons and daughters. The contras had killed one of their sons, a Sandinista Army lieutenant, along the road on August 11.

The father asked us to walk with him. He led us down another path, steep in places, across streams, through cow corrals, past other isolated households. We wondered where he was taking us. Finally, we stopped at a small depression beneath a hillock by a stream bed hidden in dense vegetation in the afternoon sunshine. There we saw eleven small wooden crosses painted blue. This place was known as Chicopipe.

The crosses bore the names of those killed by the contra on that August 11 night, names we also recognized from that and the previous day. We saw a pile of rocks at the stream bed where two men had found the partially decomposed bodies six days after the massacre. Squatting down, I found two partly decomposed sneakers and a white shirt in the bushes near two of the crosses.

In my notebook I wrote, once again, the names of the dead: Juan Arauz, Eligio Rocha Hernandez, Aristides Monjarrez, Pedro Monjarrez, Ramon Benedicto Osorto, Daniel Martinez, Victoriano Reyes, Paulino Velasquez, and Antolin, Miguel, and Guillermo Reyes Casco.

Jose Santos then brought us to the house of Bernardo who, along with Marcelino, was one of the eight whom the contras had kidnapped and later released. We found his wife outside their house tending their three children, and waiting for Bernardo to return from Achuapa. He finally got home shortly before dark. He told us his story:

On the morning of August 11 at 8 a.m. I was going to see my mother who lives in Rio Grande. I was near El Cacao when I saw three men walking. They wore civilian pants and military shirts of olive-green color, like some of the local defense militia.

They wanted me to give them information about the area, how it was organized, how many militia it had, how many rifles. I told them I didn’t take account of such things. I didn’t know whether they were contras or compas (Sandinista soldiers). It wasn’t clear, but I didn’t think compas would be asking such questions. One of them got annoyed with me because I didn’t tell them what they wanted to know. I told him I was a poor farmer who went every day from house to field and from field to house, that I didn’t know about other things. They took my horse, some food I was bringing to my mother—beans, a dozen eggs—and my hat.

They made me walk a short distance with them, and then one of them cursed me again and told me to lie face down on the ground. I put my hands up and said, “What’s this about?” They hit me with a rifle butt on my head and ears. They tied my hands behind me and forced me to walk with them. They took me with them all day Sunday and into Monday.

During this time, I saw other contras bringing other local men down from the hills. There were nine of us kidnapped. We went through El Barro at 11 in the morning. I recognized some of the others kidnapped with me, but some I didn’t know. Some of the contras wore blue uniforms [not the olive green of the Sandinistas] and carried grenade launchers.

We all spent the night near Quebrada Cayuya at Chicopipe. The contras put us in a circle. They said they were going to kill me and Eliberto Martinez because we were in the militia. We didn’t sleep during the night. In the morning, about 6 a.m. the contras left us.  We went to our homes. I took my family and animals and went to Achuapa. I had an enflamed ear that still bothers me, and nervous tremors.

When Bernardo finished, we spent a short time more with him, then returned in the dark to Jose Santo’s house and stayed the night with his parents. His mother told Lucy: “You can’t imagine the fear, every day and every night fearing they’ll come.” Between exhaustion and adrenalin, we slept in the large front room with Jose’s parents and several grandchildren. The next day Lucy and I made the three-hour walk back to Achuapa.

This is what the contra war meant to many rural people and communities, whether they lived in comarcas such as those near Chicopipe, or in rural cooperative communities, or even on the roads where travelers were ambushed and killed. The physical, emotional, social, economic, and psychological toll on rural communities and individuals was disastrous, trauma remaining for years or decades.

But these stories also reveal how important a sense of community was for survival and healing. Marcelino recognized men from other small comarcas, and he recited their names and the names of their comarcas—El Carrizo, El Cacao, El Porvenir, El Barro—all part of the larger social network in which he lived.

I was always overwhelmed by the dignity and hospitality of the people who endured so much. They were willing to tell us their horrendous experiences while offering us hot coffee or sweet milk. I think their dignity and hospitality were an essential ritual that helped keep order and basic humanity in the chaos of the war. They lived a project of life amid the project of death that swept through their lives.

Briefs

By Nan McCurdy

Per Capita GDP Triples Between 2006 and 2026

In 2006, Nicaragua’s per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stood at $1,224, according to the figures the country uses for that reference year. Statistics from the World Bank and other international sources place it in a similar range, between $958 and $1,225, depending on whether it was measured at market prices or using local price bases from that time. Two decades later, the indicator shows a sustained increase. Nominal GDP rose from US$6,764 million in 2006 to an estimated US$20,959 million in 2025. As a result, GDP per capita is estimated at $3,017 in 2025. An analysis by Best Brokers, based on projections from the International Monetary Fund, places Nicaragua’s cumulative growth at 69.5% between 2016 and 2026, with an estimated GDP per capita of $3,559 in 2026 and a projected population of 6.8 million. This performance places the country at the forefront of regional growth in per capita economic output during that period. Authorities attribute this progress to an economic policy focused on macroeconomic and financial stability, growth in production and employment, and low inflation that boosts workers’ purchasing power. The Sandinista government has set the goal of generating wealth to reduce poverty, through investment in social and productive infrastructure, the defense of peace, and the promotion of family well-being. (Informe Pastran, 1 September, 2026)

Lithium Batteries Arrive to Strengthen the National Electric Grid

The Sandinista government, through the National Electric Transmission Company (ENATREL), took a historic step in transforming the country’s energy landscape with the arrival of the first 30 megawatts (MW) of lithium batteries for energy storage. Energy Minister and ENATREL CEO Salvador Mansell explained that this state-of-the-art Huawei equipment, purchased in China, will be installed at the San Benito (Tipitapa) and Masaya substations, with 15 MW at each location. This system will allow for the storage of excess renewable energy (solar and wind) generated during the day so it can be fed into the national grid during peak nighttime demand hours. Additionally, plans are in place to add another 50 MW to reach a total storage capacity of 80 MW, ensuring the stability of the national power system. (La Primerisima, 4 September 2026)

Residents Celebrate Restoration of Baseball Field and Park

Families in the Jorge Dimitrov neighborhood, in District I of Managua, have a renovated baseball field and park, which was handed over by the Managua Mayor’s Office as part of efforts to strengthen spaces for recreation, healthy leisure activities, and sports. This neighborhood historically was one of the most impoverished in Managua.

Jennifer Porras, secretary of the Managua City Council, explained that as part of the revitalization of public spaces, this densely populated neighborhood is celebrating the inauguration of this project, which also included the renovation of the outdoor gym.

“These projects enable children in working-class neighborhoods to develop and train in a well-rounded manner in dignified and safe spaces.” Porras highlighted the support provided to facilitate children’s participation in various sports academies. See photos: https://www.el19digital.com/articulos/ver/181695-habitantes-del-barrio-jorge-dimitrov-celebran-restauracion-del-campo-de-beisbol (La Primerisima, 5 September 2026)

Army Curbs Illegal Mining, Cattle Rustling in Department of Río San Juan

Between August 14 and September 6, 2026, personnel from the Nicaraguan Army’s Southern Military Detachment carried out various operational missions in the municipalities of San Carlos, El Castillo, and El Almendro, successfully curbing illicit activities and recovering stolen property. In the Boca de Sábalo and Bartola areas, authorities intercepted 13 individuals aboard two boats equipped with outboard motors. The boats were carrying equipment intended for illegal mining within the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve. In the fight against cattle rustling, patrols recovered 33 head of cattle in the community of San Jerónimo, which had been stolen from a ranch in the Los Monos area. In the community of Talolinga, Evelio Rugama was arrested in possession of two head of cattle stolen from a local property. Meanwhile, during a patrol in the La Ñoca sector, Byron Alfredo Rivera Gutiérrez was apprehended; he had an outstanding arrest warrant for various crimes. All those detained, along with the animals, watercraft, and tools that were seized, were turned over to the appropriate authorities for due legal process. (La Primerisima, 8 September 2026)

Letter from Nicaraguan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Costa Rica Ministry

On September 8, the Nicaraguan Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a letter to the Costa Rican Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminding Costa Rica of the fundamental principles governing the protection of the rights of children. The letter said that recently a public statement was issued in Costa Rica by a self-styled “Anti-Canal Peasants’ Movement” which called for military intervention in Nicaragua which, the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry said would “infringe upon the fundamental rights of all Nicaraguans who live, work, and strive to build a better future for our homeland; among them are the thousands upon thousands of genuine peasants who till our lands day in and day out.” Evidently children were used to read aloud the group’s statement. The Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry said that, “We express our protest and absolute rejection of the exposure of children in inappropriate settings. …. Children must not be exploited, exposed, or used as a distraction, a means of legitimization, or a shield in situations that exceed their emotional and physical maturity, directly compromising their integrity and safety….” Finally, the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry urged the government of Costa Rica “to join us in working to prevent the violation of these guiding principles for the protection and defense of children and adolescents, as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.” The message was signed by Valdrack Jaentschke, Nicaraguan Minister of Foreign Affairs. (La Primerisima, 8 September 2026)

Co-President Ortega Marks 47^th Anniversary of Sandinista Army

Co-President Daniel Ortega said on September 2 that the resolve of the Nicaraguan Army is what allows us to tell those who threaten us: “Here is a people and an Army that neither sells out nor surrenders.” He explained, “You, dear brothers and sisters, have been willing to give your lives for the Nicaraguan people, and we are certain that this resolve—which is truly a strength that comes from God—is what allows us to say to those who constantly threaten us: ‘Here is a people and an army that will neither sell out nor surrender.’”

During the ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the founding of the Nicaraguan Army, Ortega noted that Nicaragua has succeeded in defeating the attacks launched against the homeland. “For 47 years, we have built the people’s Army and have managed to defeat the attacks—the attacks that have been launched time and again against our country, seeking to destroy the independence, self-determination, freedom, and democracy of the Nicaraguan people,” he said.

He continued, “How many battles? How many struggles? How much sacrifice? How much pain? In the families of our brothers and sisters who have given their lives in the face of mercenaries and invaders—yet they have not succeeded, nor will they ever be able to destroy our sovereignty or the peace that is a blessing from God for the Nicaraguan people.”

He noted that this September—a month marked by historic events and heroic battles—is the month when on September 15, 1821, Central America’s independence was signed and declared, “But it was our Nicaraguan brothers who declared independence; those who fought alongside their Central American brothers so that Central America could finally be free from Spanish domination. Yet later, the US tried to impose [another] imperialist rule when they decreed that the Americas belonged to the United States.”

Ortega went on to say, “That battle is still being fought, and here in Nicaragua we continue to fight it thanks to the unity we’ve maintained, the cohesion, the resolve, and the dignity of the Nicaraguan people, the Nicaraguan Army, the Nicaraguan Police, and our institutions. We’ve managed to weather the storm, because just when we had achieved a state of peace in Nicaragua, the storm came, and then it took so many years to restore peace—the peace that is essential for the development and strengthening of all a state’s institutions. A state needs peace so that it can build homes and hospitals and develop programs offering completely free scholarships for higher education, just as we are doing now.”

Ortega also said, “The enemy facing our people is one that, simply because it possesses global military power, feels entitled to attack peoples anywhere in the world, provoking global crises. And we see this in the resistance of U.S. leaders to making peace with the heroic people of Iran.” He emphasized that this impacts the global economy, the economies of all nations, and even the economy of the United States itself, and causes unrest among the American people, because they feel that they are paying for this war with prices for goods rising in the United States.

“You, dear brothers and sisters—those of you who are here today, carrying out various duties, and all of you, accompanied by your families and the people—you are a force that naturally instills security and confidence in the people, because they know that this is an Army that stands with the people, to defend the people, to serve the people, and to serve Nicaragua,” he emphasized. On this 47th anniversary, he congratulated all the comrades who had been promoted and all who have remained steadfast in the Nicaraguan Army.

The Co-President also recognized the comrades who have given their lives over the course of these 47 years. He stated that the Nicaraguan Army will continue to be strengthened under its Commander-in-Chief, General Julio Cesar Avilés, because “we are also convinced that we must always ensure the minimum conditions for the soldiers’ survival, even taking into account that [the world is] currently in a period of natural disasters.” See photos: https://radiolaprimerisima.com/2026/09/02/no-han-podido-ni-podran-acabar-con-la-soberania/  (La Primerisima, 2 September 2026)