Edén Pastora, aka Commander Zero, rides a bus with fellow Sandinista guerrillas on their way to the plane that would take them out of the country, after assaulting the National Palace in Managua, Nicaragua, and taking the entire Congress hostage. August 24, 1978.[687×1024]
The Operation Chanchera was the assault and hostage-taking of the Nicaraguan National Palace in Managua during a joint meeting of the Senate and the Congress of Deputies by a commando of 25 Sandinista guerrillas led by Edén Pastora, nicknamed Commander Zero, the August 22 of 1978. The operation was formally called *Death to Somozism, Carlos Fonseca Amador* but Edén nicknamed *Operation Chanchera*, as he usually referred to the members of the congress as *chanchos* (pigs).
Some estimations claim that around 1,500 people were in the building during the hostage-taking, between over 50 congressmen, guards, journalists and general public. Among the hostages there were some of the most important figures of Somoza’s Regime, such as the Ministry of Interior and several members of the Somoza family.
The action had been originally suggested by Edén Pastora in 1970, but it wasn’t until the Sandinista Revolution took form in 1978 when it was decided to be carried out. Due to the important amount of people involved in the planning and the subsequent risk of being detected that it involved, the partaking guerrillas were brought from different war fronts and didn’t know each other. They were told the plans barely few days before the action was executed.
In order to keep their cover, the guerrillas dressed as recruits of the Basic Infantry Training School of the National Guard and were armed with official issued weapons. To cover their faces they wore black and red scarves, the colors of the Sandinista movement. They arrived in green painted trucks around 11:45 am, right after the session of the Congress started, and proceeded to take the Palace. An exchange of fire started after the Government sent backup forces, in which at least four National Guardsmen were killed and one guerrilla wounded.
The hostage-taking prolongued for around 45 hours, in which, with the mediation of the Archbishop of Managua Miguel Obando y Bravo, the guerrillas got the release of 50 Sandinista prisoners, a payment of 500,000 dollars, the broadcast of several communiqué and two planes to escape from the country. Around the 9:30 am of August 24, the guerrillas escaped in two buses to the airport, still taking hostage four members of the Congress, where two planes took them and the freed militants to Panamá.
The action was an important hit against Somoza’s Regime and attracted the international attention to the Sandinista Revolution and some of the figures of those involved in the assault, particularly Edén Pastora. Some of his critics condemned him for removing his mask, risking the identities of those involved in the action. After the revolution, Edén would form ARDE, an armed opposition group against the Sandinista Government.
RoadRunner71
The Operation Chanchera was the assault and hostage-taking of the Nicaraguan National Palace in Managua during a joint meeting of the Senate and the Congress of Deputies by a commando of 25 Sandinista guerrillas led by Edén Pastora, nicknamed Commander Zero, the August 22 of 1978. The operation was formally called *Death to Somozism, Carlos Fonseca Amador* but Edén nicknamed *Operation Chanchera*, as he usually referred to the members of the congress as *chanchos* (pigs).
Some estimations claim that around 1,500 people were in the building during the hostage-taking, between over 50 congressmen, guards, journalists and general public. Among the hostages there were some of the most important figures of Somoza’s Regime, such as the Ministry of Interior and several members of the Somoza family.
The action had been originally suggested by Edén Pastora in 1970, but it wasn’t until the Sandinista Revolution took form in 1978 when it was decided to be carried out. Due to the important amount of people involved in the planning and the subsequent risk of being detected that it involved, the partaking guerrillas were brought from different war fronts and didn’t know each other. They were told the plans barely few days before the action was executed.
In order to keep their cover, the guerrillas dressed as recruits of the Basic Infantry Training School of the National Guard and were armed with official issued weapons. To cover their faces they wore black and red scarves, the colors of the Sandinista movement. They arrived in green painted trucks around 11:45 am, right after the session of the Congress started, and proceeded to take the Palace. An exchange of fire started after the Government sent backup forces, in which at least four National Guardsmen were killed and one guerrilla wounded.
The hostage-taking prolongued for around 45 hours, in which, with the mediation of the Archbishop of Managua Miguel Obando y Bravo, the guerrillas got the release of 50 Sandinista prisoners, a payment of 500,000 dollars, the broadcast of several communiqué and two planes to escape from the country. Around the 9:30 am of August 24, the guerrillas escaped in two buses to the airport, still taking hostage four members of the Congress, where two planes took them and the freed militants to Panamá.
The action was an important hit against Somoza’s Regime and attracted the international attention to the Sandinista Revolution and some of the figures of those involved in the assault, particularly Edén Pastora. Some of his critics condemned him for removing his mask, risking the identities of those involved in the action. After the revolution, Edén would form ARDE, an armed opposition group against the Sandinista Government.
(Picture by Alain Nogues)
slade797
That’s some M1 carbine and Garland goodness.