ARDE

The Alianza Revolucionaria Democrática (ARDE) was a Contra faction based in Costa Rica and commanded by Eden Pastora, a former Sandinista war hero known as "Commandante Zero."¹

Formation

ARDE was formed in September 1982 when UDN-FARN, under the leadership of "El Negro" Chamorro and his brother Edmundo Chamorro, broke away from the FDN and united with Pastora's group. The merger made political sense because both factions shared a common trait: as former Sandinistas, they hated the ex-National Guard officers who made up the FDN.²

Pastora frequently outraged his Central Intelligence Agency handlers by publicly complaining about the FDN, once referring to them as "criminal mummies and gorillas." Bermúdez and the FDN considered Pastora a closet Communist and suspected him of being a Sandinista mole.²

CIA Oversight

Like Bermúdez, Pastora was put on the CIA's payroll, where he remained until mid-1984. When the Chamorros switched from the FDN to ARDE, they changed their line of command—reporting to Pastora instead of Bermúdez—but both Pastora and Bermúdez still reported to the CIA.²

Cocaine profits from Norwin Meneses's San Francisco drug operation, previously channeled through UDN-FARN to the FDN, likely began being used to benefit ARDE after the September 1982 merger. The CIA retained oversight responsibility throughout.²

Later Evolution

UDN-FARN later left ARDE and rejoined the FDN under the umbrella group UNO.¹