12 JULY 1979 — By now most observers believed the end of the struggle was in sight. We believed it was only a matter of time until the regime would collapse. The image making and storytelling skills I acquired during this conflict are the foundation of my role today as backpack journalist. As we mark […]
9 JULY 1979 — Fighting between the Sandinista National Liberation Front and members of the Nicaraguan National Guard by this time has touched virtually every corner of the Central American nation, with the exception of the Atlantic Coast.
8 JULY 1979 — A Sandinista fighter exudes confidence as he rides in the back of a pickup truck through the streets of the city of Esteli. The scene of ferocious fighting, the city at this point is largely controlled by the rebels. Much of the northern sector of Nicaragua also is under Sandinista control […]
8 JULY 1979 — Unlike the September 1978 insurrection that briefly rocked the country, the 1979 Final Offensive was an all-or-nothing slugfest, and most Nicaraguans seemed to understand this. The Sandinistas poured everything they had into steering, and staying ahead of, the popular insurrection to topple the Somoza regime. And the regime fought back with […]
7 JULY 1970 — It was clear to most observers at this point in the conflict that the Somoza regime had lost the hearts and minds of the Nicaraguan population. Somoza’s National Guard had become an occupying force in its own land, and most ordinary Nicaraguans regarded its members with profound fear and loathing. And […]
6 JULY 1979 — Nicaragua by this time had become a land disrupted. Normal life no longer existed. Tens of thousands of Nicaraguans had either fled the country or taken refuge away from their homes to stay clear of the violence. The poor, of course, are always the most victimized in these conflicts, because their […]