Narcobaron, CIA agent, ruler of Panama - the biography of Manuel Noriega includes all of these items. The 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, directly admitted that his death put an end to an entire chapter of 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, but Manuel Noriega should not be forgotten. This article will talk about how exactly this tyrant came to power, as well as about the subsequent overthrow and trial.
Childhood
Probably, few people would have thought that the little boy would become the highest 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.
Now it is believed that his father served as an accountant, and his mother as a cook or laundress in the capital of the country - the city of Panama City. However, in his life she was practically not noted - in Manuel's early childhood she died of tuberculosis. He was brought up by his godmother, which, as a whole, led to the fact that many writers and journalists now recognize him as the illegitimate offspring of his father, and they call his family servant by the name Moreno the true parent.
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 entered medical courses, but after that he decided to go to a military school in Peru. Manuel Noriega returned to Panama already in the rank of second lieutenant in 1962.
Situation in the country
As you know, the history of Panama is inextricably linked with the history of the United States, because 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 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.
Moreover, the situation in the country itself, and especially in its capital, Panama City, was simply explosive. Short periods of civil 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 of Omar Torrijos.
She was left-centered, which was very different from other parties, and the US authorities did not like this very much. A coup was ordered, which was what the CIA agents were doing, trying 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 beginning of the way
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 up, 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 running head of the junta went precisely 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 to 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 attended various courses in American schools. Torrijos himself sent him there, hoping to form the person he needed from a subordinate. However, later, Manuel directly admitted that during his first training at a military college in Peru, he began to cooperate with American intelligence agencies, and eventually became one of the CIA agents.
In fact, he played on two fronts, since both Torrijos and the USA considered him a man for a long time. After the seizure of power by Omar Torrijos, Noriega himself was promoted to colonel, and also placed at the head of intelligence and counterintelligence. It's funny enough that it was the spy of another country that was given this post.
The death of the ruler
As you know, Torrijos incredibly trusted Manuel Noriega, so until his death, he stood in high positions. Moreover, the feud between him and the United States ended, important agreements were signed, according to one of which in 1999 the US authorities pledged to transfer the channel to the authorities of Panama. In some ways, President Jimmy Carter recognized the country's independence. Similar 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 in the future generated a lot of rumors. Although the pilot’s mistake became the official position, it is generally believed that it was Manuel Noriega who wanted to take the power to himself. However, repeated attempts to accuse him of this failed, because there was not a single evidence.
Commander-in-Chief of the country
General Manuel Noriega did not officially hold any government posts in the country, so he was not a legal ruler in Panama. But in fact, becoming in 1983 the commander in chief of the national defense forces of Panama, it was he who ruled the state. And having received power, he began to pursue his own policy.
First of all, he decided to throw off the US protectorate. In Washington, it was believed that, since in power a person loyal to them, they could always agree among themselves. But it was not there. The package of reforms proposed by America, which could negatively affect the standard of living of the country's citizens, was sharply rejected, and then the period of cooling began in relations between Panama and the USA.
Foreign and domestic policy of Noriega
When in 1985 Manuel Noriega decided to seriously review the economic course of the poorest country, at the same time he had to solve problems in the international arena. The US did not like the stubbornness of their former agent, who also refused to review the terms of the Panama Canal issue. That is why the dictator decided to turn to Central America, the countries of the socialist camp and Western Europe, which made the superpower even more angry.
Deciding to punish the Shrew, America announced that it was no longer providing any military and economic assistance to Panama. In addition to this, a court passed a sentence: Noriega was declared a member of an organized criminal group that was involved in the transportation of drugs. Further, sanctions from the United States only continued to intensify - 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.
Ultimatum USA
In May 1988, Noriege was directly proposed by the United States: he either resigned from his post, or he remains charged with drug trafficking. The actual ruler of Panama, being an unbearably proud man, did not make concessions.
His constant denials led to the introduction of severe economic sanctions in 1989. The dictator himself was directly accused of all the country's troubles, and in addition, the United States continued to increase the troop contingent in Panama. It was quite clear what the situation was headed for, and therefore in October 1989 the first attempt to overthrow the Noriega regime took place. It was unsuccessful, since the general easily suppressed the rebellion, but became a kind of impetus to subsequent events.
It was soon announced that Panama was ready for constructive negotiations with the United States, but only if they did not interfere in the freedom and sovereignty of the country. Hoping for support in this matter from the Soviet Union, Noriega and the actual president of Panama, Francisco Rodriguez, were cruelly miscalculated. At that time, the USSR was already on the verge of collapse, so Gorbachev simply could not disperse its forces into a small country in Latin America.
"Just cause"
The overthrow and the trial of Manuel Noriega are rooted in the operation “Just Cause” carried out on December 20, 1989. About 26 thousand American soldiers invaded the country for its implementation - Panama simply could not win, since its army did not exceed 12 thousand. The fighting finally died down on December 25, although in recent days they have been local. Guillermo Endara, who was another American henchman, came to power.
Now he directly admits that several war crimes were committed during this operation. Several criminal cases were even held regarding the fact that soldiers shot local residents, but this is a completely different matter. Noriega himself, fleeing the soldiers, found refuge on the territory of the Vatican Embassy. However, over time, he managed to smoke it from there, and the former ruler surrendered to the troops. He was waiting for 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 was carried out in July 1992 - he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for drug trafficking, and this was already a mitigated term. The reason for mitigation was directly recognized as a 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 a year here, since he was again returned to Panama, which imposed his term of 60 years on the verdict of political killings. Although according to the laws of the country, he had the right to conduct his detention under house arrest, the authorities showed rigidity and sent him to prison. He was there until the stroke that occurred in 2017, after which a brain tumor was discovered. Soon after, the former ruler of Panama died at the age of 83.