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Enrique Bermúdez Varela (December 11, 1932 – February 16, 1991), known as Comandante 380, was a
Nicaraguan Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America after Guatemala and ...
soldier and rebel who founded and commanded the Nicaraguan
Contras In the history of Nicaragua, the Contras (Spanish: ''La contrarrevolución'', the counter-revolution) were the right-wing militias who waged anti-communist guerilla warfare (1979–1990) against the Marxist governments of the Sandinista Na ...
. In this capacity, he became a central global figure in one of the most prominent conflicts of the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
. Bermúdez founded the largest Contra army that fought against Nicaragua's
Sandinista The Sandinista National Liberation Front (, FSLN) is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after Augusto César Sandino, who led the Nicaraguan resistan ...
government; in the war, the Contras were supported by the US and the Sandinistas were supported by the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
and
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
. From 1979 until the end of the military conflict in 1990, Bermudez was the Contras' top military commander. In addition to being responsible for all of the Contras' military operations, Bermúdez ultimately helped manage the Contras' transition to an opposition political party in the early 1990s after the second election in post-Somoza Nicaragua ended in defeat for the Sandinistas. The first election, held in 1984 with alleged severe irregularities, resulted in a victory for the
Daniel Ortega José Daniel Ortega Saavedra (; ; born 11 November 1945) is a Nicaraguan politician and dictator who has been the president of Nicaragua, co-president of Nicaragua since 18 February 2025, alongside his wife Rosario Murillo. He was the 54th an ...
and the Sandinistas; it was the rejection of this questionable outcome that led the Contras to continue their insurgency until Ortega and the Sandinistas were ultimately ejected from office in a peaceful and Democratic transfer of power in th
1990 Nicaraguan elections
On February 16, 1991, Bermudez was assassinated in
Managua Managua () is the capital city, capital and largest city of Nicaragua, and one of the List of largest cities in Central America, largest cities in Central America. Located on the shores of Lake Managua, the city had an estimated population of 1, ...
.


Early life

Bermúdez was born on December 11, 1932, in
León, Nicaragua León () is the second largest city in Nicaragua, after Managua. Founded by the Spanish as Santiago de los Caballeros de León, it is the capital and largest city of León Department. , the municipality of León has an estimated population of ...
, the son of a mechanical engineer and a domestic servant.


Nicaraguan National Guard

After graduating from the military academy in 1952, he took a commission in the engineer corps of the Nicaraguan Guardia Nacional. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel under former Nicaraguan President
Anastasio Somoza Debayle Anastasio "Tachito" Somoza Debayle (; 5 December 1925 – 17 September 1980) was a Nicaraguan politician who served as the 53rd President of Nicaragua from 1967 to 1972 and again from 1974 to 1979. As head of the National Guard (Nicaragu ...
, and was serving as
military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...
to the United States at the time of the 1979
Nicaraguan Revolution The Nicaraguan Revolution () began with rising opposition to the Somoza dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s, the ouster of the dictatorship in 1978–79, and fighting between the government and the Contras from 1981 to 1990. The revolution r ...
by the Sandinistas.


Contra war

Bermúdez moved almost immediately into armed opposition against the new government, ultimately becoming one of the most influential leaders in the armed opposition to the Sandinista government. Together with Ricardo Lau, he created the 15th of September Legion, the first armed opposition movement against the Sandinistas. In 1981, Bermúdez returned to
Tegucigalpa Tegucigalpa ( )—formally Tegucigalpa, Municipality of the Central District ( or ''Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.''), and colloquially referred to as ''Tegus'' or ''Teguz''—is the capital and largest city of Honduras along with its sister city, Comaya ...
,
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...
, from exile in
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
. He later became commander of the Nicaraguan Democratic Force (FDN), the primary Contra movement. During the Contra war, Bermúdez held the
nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...
Comandante 380. The Contras' guerrilla war against the Sandinista government became one of the most contentious and prominent
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
conflicts, with the United States supporting the Contras through overt and covert military assistance, and the Soviet Union, Cuba,
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
and other
Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...
nations supporting the Sandinistas. Under the Reagan Doctrine, through which the U.S. believed it could drive the Soviet Union out of Central America and other regions around the world, the U.S. began supplying Bermúdez' Contras with arms and other support.


Criticisms

Assessments of Bermúdez's military and political leadership varied. His supporters believed that he provided stability among the fractious rebels, holding the FDN together while other Contra factions splintered. Critics, however, charged that he failed to provide strategic direction for the FDN's campaigns, and that he hampered the Contras' effectiveness by rewarding loyal cronies and ex-Guardsmen instead of the most able commanders. Discontent finally led to a council of field commanders ousting Bermúdez, as well as the purging of the Contras' predominantly Miami-based political leadership. Many of the members of the so-called Council were then suspects in his death, along with the Sandinista government. Critics of the Contras also alleged that Bermúdez was one of several figures who had been engaged in
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
and other drug-running as a Contra commander.


Relations with U.S.

Bermúdez, however, was the key military leader behind the Contras' war. He also was a key contact for the
Reagan administration Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following his landslide victory over ...
, who saw him, along with Adolfo Calero, as their primary contacts within the Contra leadership. Votes on U.S. aid to the Contras were some of the most contentious and close votes in the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
during the 1980s, but the predominant sentiment in Congress was that continued aid to the Contras was critical both to establishing a non-communist government in Nicaragua and driving the Soviet Union from the American hemisphere during the height of the Cold War.


Autobiography: ''The Contras' Valley Forge''

In the Summer 1988 issue of '' Policy Review'' magazine, Bermúdez told the most comprehensive account of his life, a lengthy autobiographical essay titled "The Contras' Valley Forge: How I View the Nicaraguan Crisis", in which the Contra leader chronicled his life from his early career as a military attaché to Somoza through the height of the conflict between the Contras and Sandinista government. In the article, Bermúdez staunchly criticized the Sandinistas for their alliances with the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
and
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
and for betraying promises they made to establish a representative democracy. However, Bermúdez also issued some criticism at U.S. policy, writing that some Democrats, such as
Jim Wright James Claude Wright Jr. (December 22, 1922 – May 6, 2015) was an American politician who served as the 48th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 1989. He represented Texas' 12th congressional district as a ...
, then the
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House or House speaker, is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United ...
, were appeasing the Sandinista regime in ways that were inhibiting the Contras' in their effort to overthrow the Sandinista government. The article was authored by conservative author and writer (and then ''Policy Review'' editor) Michael Johns, who interviewed Bermúdez over a series of days in
Tegucigalpa Tegucigalpa ( )—formally Tegucigalpa, Municipality of the Central District ( or ''Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.''), and colloquially referred to as ''Tegus'' or ''Teguz''—is the capital and largest city of Honduras along with its sister city, Comaya ...
,
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...
in May and June 1988.


Assassinated in Managua

Following the
Sandinista The Sandinista National Liberation Front (, FSLN) is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after Augusto César Sandino, who led the Nicaraguan resistan ...
defeat in the 1990 elections, Bermúdez returned to
Managua Managua () is the capital city, capital and largest city of Nicaragua, and one of the List of largest cities in Central America, largest cities in Central America. Located on the shores of Lake Managua, the city had an estimated population of 1, ...
, only to be gunned down on February 16, 1991, after being lured to a meeting at Managua's
InterContinental InterContinental Hotels & Resorts by IHG is a British-American luxury hotel brand created in 1946 by Pan Am founder Juan Trippe. It has been part of UK-based InterContinental Hotels Group since 1998. As of January 2023, there were 208 InterC ...
Hotel. He was shot in the hotel's parking lot as he departed the hotel after those with whom he was meeting failed to show. In 1994, Bermúdez' daughter, Claudia Bermúdez, told ''
The Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company and headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Founded in 1903, it is the fifth-largest newspaper in Florida, serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe countie ...
'': "There were a lot of people who would have benefited from having my dad put away--the Sandinistas, the Chamorro government, the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. My dad died with a lot of information."


Personal

In the last years of the Contra War, Bermúdez had taken up reading the works of noted libertarian author
Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum; , 1905March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and philosopher. She is known for her fiction and for developing a philosophical system which s ...
. While serving as commander of the semi-secret Contra headquarters on the Nicaragua-Honduras border code named "Aguacate" - Spanish for Avocado - he was known for taking solitary walks in the nearby jungle, taking photographs of intricate spiderwebs. The Fort Scott Tribune - Oct 17, 198
Plane's Crash Revives Contra Support Debate
/ref> Bermúdez is survived by family members, most of whom live in
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
. He was buried in Miami, following a funeral mass that was attended by many of his U.S. and Nicaraguan supporters. In 2002 and 2004, his daughter, Claudia Bermúdez, now a resident of the
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
area, ran unsuccessfully against incumbent Democrat
Barbara Lee Barbara Jean Lee (; born July 16, 1946) is an American politician who has served as the 52nd mayor of Oakland since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Lee previously served as a United States House of Repr ...
for
California's 9th congressional district California's 9th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. Josh Harder, a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, has represented the district since January 2023. Prior to redistricting by the Cali ...
seat. She remains heavily engaged in public policy-related initiatives in the district.


See also

* List of unsolved murders *
National Guard (Nicaragua) The Nicaraguan National Guard (, otherwise known as ) was a militia and a gendarmerie created in 1925 during the United States occupation of Nicaragua, occupation of Nicaragua by the United States. It became notorious for human rights abuses and ...
*
Nicaraguan Revolution The Nicaraguan Revolution () began with rising opposition to the Somoza dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s, the ouster of the dictatorship in 1978–79, and fighting between the government and the Contras from 1981 to 1990. The revolution r ...
*
Sandinista Popular Army The Sandinista Popular Army (SPA) (or People's Army; , EPS) was the military forces established in 1979 by the new Sandinista government of Nicaragua to replace the Nicaraguan National Guard, following the overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle. ...


Notes


References

*Enrique Bermúdez (with Michael Johns), "The Contras' Valley Forge: How I View the Nicaraguan Crisis," '' Policy Review'', Heritage Foundation, Summer 198

*Shirley Christian, ''Nicaragua: Revolution in the Family'', Vintage, 1986, . *Glenn Garvin, ''Everybody Had His Own Gringo: The CIA and the Contras'', Brassey's (US), 1992, . *Roy Gutman, ''Banana Diplomacy: The Making of American Policy in Nicaragua, 1981–1987'', Simon & Schuster, 1988, .
"Shultz to Visit Central America on Faltering Talks"
''The New York Times'', June 19, 1988 (covering Bermúdez' Summer 1988 autobiography in '' Policy Review''). *United States Department of State, Special Report No. 174, ''Nicaraguan Biographies: A Resource Book'', Bureau of Public Affairs, 1988.


External links


"Bermudez Elected a Contra Director"
Associated Press, ''The New York Times'', July 19, 1988

''The New York Times'', July 22, 1988 * ttps://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE3D6103AF93BA25751C0A967958260 "Quick Solution is Sought in Ex-Contra Chief's Death" Reuters, ''The New York Times'', February 18, 1991
"Leader's Slaying Incites Ex-Contras," ''The New York Times'', February 20, 1991


''The New York Times'', March 6, 1991

Reuters, ''The New York Times'', March 7, 1991].
"Assassins in Managua"
''The New York Times'', April 16, 1991 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bermudez, Enrique 1932 births 1990s murders in Nicaragua 1991 crimes in Nicaragua 1991 deaths 1991 murders in North America Assassinated military personnel Assassinated Nicaraguan politicians Contras Deaths by firearm in Nicaragua Military attachés Nicaraguan anti-communists Nicaraguan expatriates in the United States Nicaraguan military personnel Nicaraguan revolutionaries People from León, Nicaragua People from Managua People from Miami People murdered in Nicaragua People of the Cold War People of the Nicaraguan Revolution Unsolved murders in Nicaragua North American politicians assassinated in the 1990s Politicians assassinated in 1991