MAY 18, 1895

NICARAGUAN MISKITO REVOLUTIONARY LEADER CÉSAR AUGUSTO SANDINO BORN

Also called Augusto César Sandino, he was born in Niquinohomo, Masaya Department, Nicaragua.  In July 1912, Sandino witnessed an intervention of U.S. troops in Nicaragua to suppress an uprising against reputed American puppet, President Adolfo Díaz.  In 1921, his attempt to kill the son of a prominent townsman for insulting comments forced him to flee to Honduras, Guatemala and eventually Mexico.  Returning to Nicaragua, Sandino gained national recognition in 1926, when he took up arms in support of Vice President Juan Bautista Sacasa’s claim to the presidency.  Upon the intervention of U.S. Marines in 1927, Sandino’s forces withdrew to the mountains and successfully eluded capture by both the U.S. and the Nicaraguan National Guard.  After the Marines withdrew in January 1933 and Sacasa was inaugurated as president, Sandino was invited to meet with Anastasio Somoza, the head of the National Guard, for a peace conference.  He was abducted and murdered by Guardsmen on February 23, 1934.

Source: “Cesar Augusto Sandino,” The Encyclopedia Britannica.  Retrieved 7/2/2020, https://www.britannica.com/topic/asymmetrical-warfare
Photo:  Underwood & Underwood, 1928. Public Domain.  Source:  United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3b19320.