Death of Somoza

This first-hand account of the assassination of the Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza contains unprecedented, in-depth interviews with the members of the Argentine commando responsible for his death on September 17, 1980. For multiple reasons, as the authors explain, this book was not published until 1993, thirteen years after the event. Now, 44 years later, Nicaragua's history has come full circle - and this merits reflection if long-lasting peace and justice are to be obtained. The armed action of the Argentine commando in 1980 ended the life of a tyrant, but in Nicaragua, tyranny returned. Ten years of revolution was followed by 28 years of a very fragile democracy. Then, in April 2018, an immense popular uprising against the new dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo met with brutal and bloody repression. Despite this, the Nicaraguan people have opted for a civic and democratic path to change, rather than violent overthrow, as they did in the past. This path is much longer and more arduous, yet, if we take a historical perspective on the quest for peace and justice, it is perhaps the only way to break the vicious circle of dictatorships that has plagued Nicaragua. This book, well-documented and at the same time humane, is not an apology for terrorism or violence. It is intended, rather, as a chronicle from which to draw lessons.