Nicaragua: Information on the Special Disarmament Brigades
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1997 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | NIC26874.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Nicaragua: Information on the Special Disarmament Brigades, 1 May 1997, NIC26874.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abd57c.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Please find attached some documents that refer to the Special Disarmament Brigade (Brigada Especial de Desarme, BED), which the documents indicate was approximately 500-600 strong, formed with members of both sides of the armed conflict (contra fighters and government police and army forces) in early 1992, ending its activities in 1993. The Brigade was reportedly headed by a Lt. Col. Jose Arnesto Soza (in some of the attached documents named Jose Ramon Arnesto and Rafael Ernesto Cesar), with Maj. Ivan Portocarrero as his deputy (AP 20 Aug. 1993). For additional information on its deployment and activities, please consult the attached documents.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
The Associated Press (AP). 20 August 1993. PM Cycle. Eloy O. Aguilar. "Army Convoy Heads to Scene of Hostage-Taking." (NEXIS)
Attachments
Area Handbook Series. December 1993. Nicaragua: A Country Study. ("Deficits" and "Armed Forces After 1990") Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Army. [Internet] [Accessed 23 May 1997]
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 11 September 1993. "Arms Cache Discovered in Matagalpa Department." (NEXIS)
_____. 9 August 1993. "Army Major Says Over a Thousand 'Rearmed' Men Now in Demobilisation Areas." (NEXIS)
_____. 4 May 1993. "Nicaragua: OAS Secretary-General Receives Details of Disarmament." (NEXIS)
_____. 23 February 1993. "Nicaraguan Government Announces New Disarmament Plan to Confiscate 20,000 Rifles." (NEXIS)
Excelsior [Mexico City]. 17 January 1992. "Demobilization of Ex-Contras in Exchange for Land and Money." (Central America NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 13-26 Jan. 1992, Vol. 6, No. 25, p. 10)
Inter Press Service. 23 August 1993. Felipe Jaime. "Nicaragua: Negotiated Solution to Hostage Crisis Possible." (NEXIS)
Miami Herald. 15 February 1992. Tim Johnson. "Nicaragua Defuses Jungle War as Insurgents Lay Down Arms." (Central America NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 10-23 Feb. 1992, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 9-10)
The Orlando Sentinel. 7 June 1993. "Nicaraguans Find More Salvadoran Arms." (NEXIS)
Reuters. 20 May 1993. BC Cycle. Dan Trotta. "Nicaraguan Rebels Willing to Lay Down Arms Official." (NEXIS)
_____. 16 January 1992. BC Cycle. "Re-Armed Sandinistas to Join Contra Rivals in Disarmament." (NEXIS)
TASS. 4 March 1992. "Itar-Tass Foreign News Highlights of March." (NEXIS)
The Washington Post. 2 September 1993. Final Edition. "Nicaraguan Troops Kill 3 Guerrillas, Free 200 Hostages." (NEXIS)
Xinhua News Agency. 22 December 1993. "Nicaraguan Rebels Refuse to Surrender Arms." (NEXIS)
