---
category: Paramilitary
location: San Salvador, El Salvador
start: 1981
summary: ARENA was the ultraright Salvadoran political party led by death squad commander
  Roberto D'Aubuisson that had connections to Contra funding and narcotics trafficking.
tags:
- organization
- salvadoran
- contra-war
---

ARENA (Alianza Republicana Nacionalista) was the ultraright Salvadoran political party led by death squad commander [Roberto D'Aubuisson](/people/roberto-daubuisson/) that had connections to [Contra](/organizations/contras/) funding and narcotics trafficking. Records seized from D'Aubuisson revealed financial contributions to Nicaraguan Contra operatives.[^1]

### Connections to the Contra War

D'Aubuisson, a Salvadoran army major and ARENA party leader, ran death squads during the civil war in [El Salvador](/places/el-salvador/). Records seized from his offices revealed that he had made two "contributions to Nicaraguans," totaling $120,000, three days after the assassination of Archbishop Romero. Written underneath these amounts was the name and telephone number of [Ricardo Lau](/people/ricardo-lau/), connecting ARENA to the founding of the [FDN](/organizations/fdn/) Contra army. The overlap between ARENA's death squad activities, the Salvadoran military, and the Contra war illustrated the interconnected nature of right-wing violence and U.S.-backed covert operations in [Central America](/places/central-america/).[^2]

[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 5.
[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 5.