Though the United States government had considered the matter closed, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has opened to door to the possibility of the U.S. paying his country $17 billion for their involvement in Nicaragua’s civil war.
Back in 1986, the money was awarded to Nicaragua by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague. The case was brought against the U.S. because during Nicaragua’s civil war, the U.S. armed, financed, and supplied the Contra fighters, in violation of international law.
The Contras were counter-revolutionaries who fought against the ruling Sandinista government.
Though U.S. support of the Contras was banned by Congress, the Reagan Administration tried to continue its support covertly, despite the many human rights violations they carried out.
And though the ICJ ordered the U.S. to compensate the Nicaraguan government, no fixed amount was ordered.
