Contra Aid

Contra aid refers to United States government support provided to the Contras, a rebel group in Nicaragua during the 1980s. The Contras aimed to oppose the socialist government of Daniel Ortega. This aid included military supplies and funding, intended to weaken the Nicaraguan government, which was ideologically aligned with the USSR and Cuba. The program was controversial because it involved covert operations and was linked to the Iran-Contra scandal, where funds from arms sales to Iran were diverted to support the Contras, despite congressional objections.