Oscar Manuel Sobalvarro Garcia (born December 23, 1960) is a former commander in the Nicaraguan Resistance (a US-backed Contra group) fighting the Sandinista National Liberation Front,[1] of which he was a former army soldier.[2] Professionally he was a farmer and salesman.[2] His nom-de-guerre was "Commandante Ruben."[2]
Oscar Sobalvarro | |
|---|---|
 Sobalvarro in 2005 | |
| Born | December 23, 1960 Santa María de Pantasma, Jinotega, Nicaragua |
| Other names | Commandante Ruben |
| Organization | Nicaraguan Resistance |
Early life
editOscar Manuel Sobalvarro Garcia was born in El Venado, Jinotega, on December 23, 1960.[2] He attended school through the fourth grade.[2]
Career
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2021) |
Sobalvarro joined the Resistance on March 20, 1980.[2] He became commander of the Salvador Perez Regional Command. His brother, Luis Armando, was the Regional Command's Executive Officer; another brother, Julio Cesar, was Commanding Officer of Task Force Martiza Zeledon.[2] All three brothers are former Sandinista fighters.[2]
Sobalvarro played a central role in the Contra demobilization talks that followed the 1990 electoral defeat of incumbent President Daniel Ortega of the FSLN and election of UNO’s Violeta Barrios de Chamorro. The FSLN insisted the Contras demobilized before they handed over power.[3]
In 2021, he is vice-president of the center-right Citizens for Freedom (CxL) party in Nicaragua, part of the Citizen Alliance with the Partido Movimiento de Unidad Costeña (Pamuc).[4] Four candidates have registered for consideration as the Citizen Alliance’s candidate for president in the 2021 Nicaraguan general election—Arturo Cruz, Juan Sebastián Chamorro, Noel Vidaurre and Américo Treminio—though opposition groups hope the Citizen Alliance and the National Coalition will present a unified candidate to compete against Daniel Ortega, running for his fifth term.[4] Sobalvarro is the CxL representative in these negotiations.[4]
References
edit- ^ Ring, Wilson (August 11, 1989). "CONTRAS FEEL BETRAYED BY PEACE AGREEMENT". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Nicaraguan Biographies: A Resource Book. U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs. 1988. p. 56.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Ring, Wilson (1990). "Contras vow to disband when plan made to meet their needs". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
- ^ a b c "Oscar Sobalvarro llama a PRD y Movimiento campesino a unirse alrededor de CxL". 100noticias (in Spanish). May 7, 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
