For over 40 years, the Somoza dynasty ruled Nicaragua. However, in 1979, Sandinista rebels succeeded in overthrowing the dictatorial regime of Anastasio Somoza. They installed a Marxist-Leninist government with support from the Soviet Union and Cuba. Soon, the United States began supporting the Contras, an opposition force that was fighting to overthrow the revolutionary government. The conflict between the Sandinista government and the Contra rebels lasted throughout the 1980s and ravaged the country.
In 1983, the Contadora Group (Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela) met and drafted a series of principles that would structure negotiations to end conflict in Central America. The Contadora group was subsequently joined by five Central American nations (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua). Despite these efforts, conflict continued in Nicaragua as the Contra rebels fought the Sandinista regime. The conflict in Nicaragua also threatened to spread into surrounding countries such as Honduras and El Salvador.
In 1986, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias drafted a comprehensive regional peace plan after consultations in Esquipulas, Guatemala. The plan was embodied in a final declaration by the five Central American presidents in Guatemala in August 1987. On August 7, 1987, the presidents of the five Central American countries signed the Esquipulas II Agreement in which they agreed to launch a region-wide process of democratization and national dialogue. In February 1989, the five presidents issued a Joint Declaration requesting the United Nations provide military observers to verify the security provisions of Esquipulas II and a group of civilian observers to monitor the Nicaraguan electoral process. On July 27th, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 637. The resolution expressed the Council's firm support for the Esquipulas II Agreement and subsequent Joint Declarations. It called upon the leaders of Central America to continue their efforts to achieve a firm and lasting peace. It also offered the Security Council's full support to Secretary-General de Cuellar to continue his mission of good offices.
On August 5th, a summit was held by the presidents of the five Central American countries at Tela, Honduras. At the conclusion of the summit, the presidents issued a Declaration and a Joint Plan for the voluntary demobilization, repatriation or relocation of the members of the Nicaraguan Contras and their families, as well as assistance in the demobilization of all those involved in armed actions in the countries of the region. To support this process, the five Central American countries asked the United Nations and the Organization of American States (OAS) to establish an International Support and Verification Commission (CIAV). CIAV would be responsible for collecting weapons and military equipment. Humanitarian and development functions were entrusted to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the United Nations Development Program. CIAV was subsequently established by the Secretaries-General of the United Nations and the OAS.
In addition to CIAV, the United Nations Observation Mission for the Verification of Elections in Nicaragua (ONUVEN) was also established in August. Its mandate was to monitor the preparation for the upcoming Nicaraguan elections. This was the first time that the United Nations had formally monitored elections in an independent country. On September 3rd, the Secretary-General sent a reconnaissance mission to the region led by Brigadier-General Pericles Ferreira Gomes (of Brazil), Chief Military Observer of the United Nations Angola Verification Mission. It was comprised of senior United Nations officials and military personnel. On September 21st, he informed the Security Council that the demobilization of the members of the Nicaraguan Contras was an operation of a military nature which would have to be launched by the Security Council.
On November 7th, the Security Council established the UN Observer Group in Central America (ONUCA) pursuant to resolution 644. ONUCA's mandate would be to conduct on-site verification of the security undertakings contained in the Esquipulas II Agreement, namely the cessation of aid to irregular forces and insurrectionist movements and the non-use of territory by one state for attacks on other states.
Elections were held in Nicaragua on February 25, 1990. ONUVEN observers visited polling stations in 141 of the country's 143 municipalities and monitored vote counting. At the conclusion of the elections, ONUVEN determined that the elections had been conducted "in a highly commendable manner." The Sandinista candidate, Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega, was defeated by the Union Nacional Opositora (UNO), a coalition of twenty parties. Violeta Barrios de Chamorro was chosen to lead the new government. At the request of both the president and president-elect of Nicaragua, a United Nations team facilitated a peaceful political transition. They also played a role in negotiations that followed the elections.
The success of ONUVEN helped create conditions for the voluntary demobilization of the Nicaraguan Contras. Demobilization was overseen by ONUCA. In March 1990, the Security Council enlarged ONUCA's mandate to include overseeing the voluntary demobilization of the Nicaraguan resistance. The operation was undertaken throughout Honduras and Nicaragua. By June 2nd, over 22,000 resistance members had turned in their weapons to ONUCA. Demobilization of the Nicaraguan contras was reported to be completed on June 28, 1990.
