The Lost Decade - "uss Honduras"
Following the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua in July 1979 and the election of Reagan to the US presidency in November 1980, Honduras found itself at the centre of US geo-political strategy - the "fourth border of the US", a state of affairs with which the government was only too happy to comply. The elections of November 1981, held under US diplomatic pressure, brought Roberto Suazo Cordova to power. Though a Liberal, Suazo was closely allied to the rabidly anti-Communist Colonel Alvarez Martinez , head of the police force (the FSP), then under military control, and later Commander in Chief of the armed forces. These two men allowed Honduras to become the focus for the US-backed Contra war in Nicaragua, accepting in return over US$1.5bn of direct economic and military aid from the US during the 1980s. US-funded training camps along the border were used on occasion to launch Contra attacks into Nicaraguan territory, while the Honduran army provided logistical support and participated in manoeuvres with the steadily growing numbers of US troops based in the country. Domestically, the relationship between the military and government grew ever closer. Human rights violations rose alarmingly, with the army implicated in at least 184 "disappearances" of activists from labour organizations and peace movements. Forced conscription was common, and lengthy jail sentences were introduced for activities deemed subversive, including street demonstrations. In 1984, army officers, increasingly anxious over Alvarez's actions, forced him into exile. Though repression eased somewhat, the relationship between the military and government continued to be close, with corruption at senior levels in both institutions positively encouraged by the endless flow of dollars from the US.
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