Editing Contras (section)

===Origins===
The Contras were not a monolithic group, but a combination of three distinct elements of Nicaraguan society:<ref name="Lee et al. 1987, p. 29"/>

* Ex-guardsmen of the [[Nicaraguan National Guard]] and other right-wing figures who had fought for Nicaragua's ex-dictator [[Somoza]]<ref name="Lee et al. 1987, p. 29">Lee et al. 1987, p. 29</ref>—these later were especially found in the military wing of the [[Nicaraguan Democratic Force]] (FDN).<ref>"The contras are made up of a combination of: ex-National Guardsmen (especially the military wing of the FDN)" As seen at: Gill 1984, p. 204</ref> Remnants of the Guard later formed groups such as the [[Fifteenth of September Legion]], the Anti-Sandinista Guerrilla Special Forces, and the National Army of Liberation.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}} Initially however, these groups were small and conducted little active raiding into Nicaragua.<ref>Dickey, Christopher. With the Contras, A Reporter in the Wilds of Nicaragua. Simon & Schuster, 1985.</ref>
* Anti-Somozistas who had supported the revolution but felt betrayed by the Sandinista government<ref name="Lee et al. 1987, p. 29"/> – e.g. [[Édgar Chamorro]], prominent member of the political directorate of the FDN,<ref>"The contras are made up of a combination of:&nbsp;... anti-Sandinista opponents of ex-dictator Somoza (some of the members of the FDN political directorate eg Messrs. Chamorro and Cruz)" As seen at: Gill 1984, p. 204</ref> or [[José Francisco Cardenal]], who had briefly served in the Council of State before leaving Nicaragua out of disagreement with the Sandinista government's policies and founding the [[Nicaraguan Democratic Union|Nicaraguan Democratic Union (UDN)]], an opposition group of Nicaraguan exiles in Miami.<ref>International Court of Justice (IV) (1986), p. 446</ref> Another example are the [[MILPAS]] (Milicias Populares Anti-Sandinistas), peasant [[militia]]s led by disillusioned Sandinista veterans from the northern mountains. Founded by [[Pedro Joaquín González]] (known as "Dimas"), the Milpistas were also known as {{lang|es|chilotes}} (green corn). Even after his death, other MILPAS bands sprouted during 1980–1981. The Milpistas were composed largely of {{lang|es|campesino}} ([[peasant]]) highlanders and rural workers.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dillon |first=Sam |title=Comandos: The CIA and Nicaragua's Contra Rebels |year=1991 |publisher=Henry Holt |location=New York |isbn=978-0-8050-1475-4 |oclc=23974023 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/comandoscianicar00dill/page/49 49–56] |url=https://archive.org/details/comandoscianicar00dill/page/49 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Horton |first=Lynn |title=Peasants in Arms: War and Peace in the Mountains of Nicaragua, 1979–1994 |year=1998 |publisher=Ohio University Center for International Studies |location=Athens |isbn=978-0-89680-204-9 |oclc=39157572 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/peasantsinarmswa00hort/page/95 95–117] |url=https://archive.org/details/peasantsinarmswa00hort/page/95 }}</ref><ref>Padro-Maurer, R. ''The Contras 1980–1989, a Special Kind of Politics''. NY: Praeger Publishers, 1990.</ref><ref>Brown, Timothy C. ''The Real Contra War, Highlander Peasant Resistance in Nicaragua''. University of Oklahoma Press, 2001.</ref>
*Nicaraguans who had avoided direct involvement in the revolution but opposed the Sandinistas.<ref name="Lee et al. 1987, p. 29"/>