By Emiliano Gullo – @emilianogullo
(Editor's Note: As we do at least once a week, we turned to the archives of chronicles from our friends at NTD.la to find an account of a striking historical moment. This time, while reviewing almanacs, we realized that another anniversary of the assassination of a notorious figure in the annals of Latin America had just passed, and that Emiliano Gullo's writing perfectly describes the moment. Furthermore, by one of those bizarre whims we occasionally have, we've found a surprising and remarkable playlist of Nicaraguan indie music to accompany this reading—a playlist whose quality has left us speechless. Welcome!)
“White, White”. An Argentine guerrilla fighter's walkie-talkie fires a signal. It's the code for the color of the car that just left a mansion in Asunción. It brings the former dictator of Nicaragua, Anastasio Somoza, into a pleasant residence in the country ruled by another murderer, General Stroessner. It is September 17, 1980, and the ERP-FSLN plan to assassinate Somoza is about to be carried out. Leading the operation is... Enrique Gorriarán Merlo. When the dictator's path is blocked, a guerrilla fires the bazooka but the missile doesn't launch. Gorriarán - under the fictitious name of "Pelado Ramón" - aims his M-19 machine gun and riddles him with bullets; The driver and one of his advisors also fall. Only after the missile launch do they manage to resolve the issue. Now they can. They aim, boom. The Nicaraguan genocidal dictator's Mercedes Benz flies through space and returns to Earth in pieces. Its occupants, all dead. Mission accomplished; it's the “Operation Reptile”.
*****
By the end of 1979, Nicaragua was fully experiencing the revolution of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). The Sandinistas took power a few months ago. This is the moment for the country's reconstruction; the moment for socialist construction; the last such moment that Latin America will remember. Despite the military and moral triumph over the dictatorship, The genocidal Anastasio "tachito" Somoza Debayle manages to escape. The United States is the first base. His trip to the States doesn't last long, despite what a Secretary of State said some time ago about his father: “Somoza is a son of a bitch, but one of our sons of a bitch.”. His stays in the Bahamas and Panama are even shorter. He then sought refuge in Paraguay under his friend Alfredo Stroessner.
“Tachito.”. The ironic nickname that Somoza, one of the most bloodthirsty genocidal figures on the continent, had was given to him by his mother when he was a child, already rough but not yet a murderer. Son of "Tacho," Anastasio Somoza Debayle was "Tachito" to the entire world. “Tachito”, then, lands in Asunción at the end of '79. He plans his near future surrounded by advisors, among them Joseph Baittiner, His financial consultant, who will also die with revolutionary bullets. His outings from the fortress-like mansion are few; but they do occur. And if they do occur—"El Pelado" and his companions think—they must be tracked down.
The guerrilla command has all the necessary weaponry for the attack. Weapons, ammunition, and men are smuggled in. There are seven militants; Among them is Julia, Gorriarán's partner, who is traveling to Paraguay while pregnant with her child. Some are from Brazil, others from Misiones. On September 17th, they have a Chinese RPG-2 bazooka-type rocket launcher, an American M-16 machine gun and another Ingram; in addition to automatic pistols.
Somoza lives on Generalísimo Franco Avenue. No one will know how much the memory of the Spanish dictator influenced the takeover of that house. What is certain is that the "Bald One's" commando arrived there after one of them asked a taxi driver for directions. and this one - without many details - went down to consult at a police station in the area.
On the corner of Generalísimo Franco Avenue and Santísimo Sacramento, two blocks from the former dictator's house, the guerrillas set up a newspaper kiosk. This is one of the most exclusive areas of Asunción; where there are not only mansions but also army barracks. They're in the lion's den. The operation also needs a safe house nearby. They deceive the owner of a mansion because—they tell him— They are from Julio Iglesias' production and the singer needs a place to sleep incognito. That way they could keep a close eye on him at all times, without raising suspicion.
On September 17, shortly after 10 a.m., the gate of the guarded mansion spits out a white Mercedes Benz; behind it comes a Ford Falcon. “White! White!”, "The guerrilla-kiosk owner says over the handheld radio.". Gorriarán peeks out from Julio Iglesias's house with his M-16. He raises and lowers his hand. Roberto "Gordo" Sánchez understands quickly. He takes out the truck and cuts it off in front of the Mercedes Benz. Hugo Alfredo Irurzún, alias “Captain Santiago,” a high-ranking leader of the PRT-ERP, is the missile man. He gets out of the truck and stands facing the Mercedes. With Somoza trapped inside the car, he slings the bazooka over his shoulder, pulls the trigger, but nothing happens. “Shitty rocket”, He could have said. Gorriarán doesn't even let the former dictator blink and unloads the 30 bullets from the machine gun.. The “Captain Santiago” had time to go and get another missile. And now he tries it again. He pulls the trigger and the car explodes. Inside, Anastasio Somoza Debayle, the driver, and his advisor Baittiner are killed. The Falcon's custodians cannot react in time. The guerrillas are now disappearing towards the borders. All except one. “Captain Santiago” returns to a safe house in downtown Asunción. They discover it along the way. He resists the gunfire alone, as much as he can. They capture him and torture him for days. It is the only casualty of Operation Reptile.