Drug lord, CIA agent, ruler of Panama - Manuel Noriega's biography includes all of the above. The very life of the former leader of this country is simply shrouded in secrets - even now, after his death, it is impossible to say exactly about everything that he managed to do. The current president of Panama, Juan Varela, has bluntly admitted that his death marked the end of an entire chapter in the country's history. Although now his name does not cause such a public outcry as in the 80s and 90s of the XX century, Manuel Noriega should not be forgotten. This article will talk about how exactly this tyrant came to power, as well as the subsequent overthrow and trial.
Childhood
Probably, few would have thought that a little boy would become the supreme leader of the national liberation of Panama, would be able to achieve such heights of power and de facto rule the country for 6 years. The future tyrant was born in one of the poorest areas of Panama in February 1934. His full name - Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno - was given to him by his parents, who by the standards of the country were considered mestizos, that is, they had the blood of Americans, Africans and Spaniards.
It is now believed that his father servedaccountant, and his mother - a cook or a laundress in the capital - the city of Panama City. However, in his life she practically did not notice - even in Manuel's early childhood, she died of tuberculosis. He was brought up by his godmother, which generally led to the fact that many writers and journalists now recognize him as the illegitimate offspring of his father, and the true parent is called a domestic employee named Moreno.
In his youth, the future dictator did not want to become a military man at all - his dream was to work as a doctor. He even enrolled in medical courses, but after that he still decided to go to a military school in Peru. Manuel Noriega returned to Panama already with the rank of second lieutenant in 1962.
The situation in the country
As you know, the history of Panama is inextricably linked with the history of the United States, since it was with their support that the country was able to declare its independence from Colombia in 1903. In addition, America's overwhelming military power over the southern countries forced them to make concessions. One of the most famous was the transfer of control over the Panama Canal under construction. So we can safely say that in the 20th century, it was the United States that dictated the policy of Panama.
In addition, the situation in the country itself, and especially in its capital, Panama City, was simply explosive. Short periods of civilian rule were constantly replaced by military coups, during which the next authorities tried to at least slightly weaken the yoke of America. However, in October 1968, the situation in the country changed dramatically - a new junta came to power under the rule ofOmar Torrijos.
She was left-centric, which was very different from other parties, and the US authorities did not like it very much. A coup was ordered, which was what the CIA agents were busy with, who tried to overthrow the Torrijos government and bring people loyal to Washington to power. It was at this time that the star of Manuel Noriega began to shine.
The start of the journey
When Noriega returned to Panama, he became a member of the Panama National Guard. Torrijos was his first commander, and at the beginning of his career, the commander greatly helped the future dictator and for some time acted as his patron. However, soon Manuel Noriega simply played too much, and therefore was exiled to the province of Chiriqui. At the time of the reign of Torrijos, he commanded the local troops, and therefore the fleeing head of the junta went to his protege, because the troops completely subordinate to him remained in Chiriqui. It was from here that Torrijos began to act, gradually organizing a march into the capital with the participation of the poor, as a result of which he was able to regain power in Panama.
CIA agent
As you know, in 1966, Noriega several times visited various courses in American schools. Torrijos himself sent him there, hoping to form the person he needed from a subordinate. However, later Manuel openly admitted that even during his first studies at a military college in Peru, he began to cooperate with the American special services, and eventually became one of the CIA agents.
In fact, he played for twofront, since both Torrijos and the United States considered him their man for a long time. After the seizure of power by Omar Torrijos, Noriega himself was promoted to colonel, and also put in charge of intelligence and counterintelligence. Ironically enough, it was a spy from another country who was given the job.
Death of a ruler
As you know, Torrijos incredibly trusted Manuel Noriega, so until his death he was in high positions. In addition, the feuds between him and the United States ended, important agreements were signed, according to one of which, in 1999, the US authorities were obliged to transfer the channel to the authorities of Panama. In a way, President Jimmy Carter recognized the independence of the country. Such changes in the political current made Torrijos a national hero. Until his death, he played an incredibly important role in the process of governing the country, although he had already legally retired.
The death of the former revolutionary put an end to all this. He crashed on a plane on July 31, 1981, under circumstances that gave rise to many rumors in the future. Although the official position was pilot error, it is generally accepted that it was Manuel Noriega who had a hand in this, who wanted to take power for himself. However, repeated attempts to accuse him of this failed, as there was not a single piece of evidence.
Commander in chief of the country
General Manuel Noriega did not officially hold any public office in the country, so he was not legally the ruler in Panama. But in fact, having become in 1983Commander-in-Chief of the National Defense Forces of Panama, it was he who ruled the state. And having received power, he began to conduct his own policy.
First of all, he decided to throw off the US protectorate. Washington believed that since a person loyal to them was in power, they could always come to an agreement among themselves. But it was not there. The package of reforms proposed by America, which could have a negative impact on the standard of living of the country's citizens, was sharply rejected, and then a period of cooling began in relations between Panama and the United States.
Noriega's foreign and domestic policy
When Manuel Noriega decided in 1985 to drastically change the economic course of the poorest country, he also had to deal with problems on the international stage. The US did not like the stubbornness of their former agent, who also refused to renegotiate the terms of the Panama Canal issue. That is why the dictator decided to turn to Central America, the countries of the socialist bloc and Western Europe, which angered the superpower even more.
Determining to punish the shrew, America announced that it would stop providing any military and economic assistance to Panama. In addition to this, there was also a court that delivered a verdict: Noriega was declared a member of an organized criminal group that was engaged in the transportation of drugs. Further, sanctions from the United States only continued to increase - the number of American troops in the country was increased, and it was also forbidden to transfer any funds from the United States to Panama.
US ultimatum
In May 1988, Noriega was directly offered by the United States: he either leaves his post or remains charged with drug trafficking. The actual ruler of Panama, being an unbearably proud man, did not make any concessions.
His constant refusals led to severe economic sanctions in 1989. The dictator himself was directly blamed for all the country's troubles, and in addition to this, the United States continued to increase the contingent of troops in Panama. It was quite clear what exactly the situation was going to, and therefore in October 1989 there was the first attempt to overthrow the Noriega regime. It was unsuccessful, as the general easily crushed the rebellion, but became a kind of impetus for subsequent events.
It was soon announced that Panama was ready for constructive negotiations with the United States, but only if they did not interfere with the freedom and sovereignty of the country. Hoping for support in this matter from the Soviet Union, Noriega and the de facto President of Panama, Francisco Rodriguez, miscalculated. At that time, the USSR was already on the verge of collapse, so Gorbachev simply could not spread his forces on a small country in Latin America.
Just Cause
The overthrow and trial of Manuel Noriega are rooted in the December 20, 1989 Operation Just Cause. To implement it, about 26 thousand American soldiers invaded the country - Panama simply could not win, since its army did not exceed 12 thousand. The fighting finally subsided already on December 25, although in recent days they have been local. Guillermo Endara came to power, who was another protege of America.
Now he bluntly admits that several war crimes were committed during this operation. There were even several criminal cases regarding the fact that soldiers shot local residents, but this is a completely different issue. Noriega himself, fleeing from the soldiers, took refuge on the territory of the Vatican embassy. However, over time, he managed to smoke out of there, and the former ruler surrendered to the troops. He was awaiting his trial in Miami.
Court sentence
Already in 1990, the army of Panama ceased to exist, and the regimes of Torrijos and Noriega were recognized as bloody and illegitimate. However, Panama continued to live, and soon the former ruler was forgotten. The trial of Manuel Noriega itself took place in July 1992 - he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for drug trafficking, and this was already a mitigated term. The reason for the mitigation was directly recognized as long-term cooperation with the CIA of America.
In total, he served 15 years in prison, after which he was extradited to France, where he was again sentenced to seven years. However, he did not serve even a year here, since he was again returned to Panama, which gave him his term - 60 years on a sentence of political assassinations. Although, according to the laws of the country, he had the right to carry out his imprisonment under house arrest, the authorities of the country showed toughness and sent him to prison. He stayed there until he had a stroke in 2017, after which a tumor was discovered.brain. Shortly thereafter, the former ruler of Panama died at the age of 83.
