European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 5, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                May 1985 the stars and stripes Page 17 abuse of civilians by contras by Tim Golden United press International most of the peasants whose dirt floor shacks make up the nicaraguan Hamlet of Bol Inqui near the honduran Border use the same word to describe their relations with rebels of the nicaraguan democratic they guardedly Tell a reporter travelling through the Hilly Jungle with a pack of the machine gun toting called contras in most of the rebels Are known to some in this sparsely populated Region As the their comings and goings elicit Little Emo Tion from the locals a few but no open arms and no open we have no problems with nor they with said Valentin who farms Beans on a Small up photo execution an accused Sandi nista spy top digs his own up photo eats a last meal of pow dered milk up photo and has a knife plunged into his Throat below by a Contra when we we help if we neglected we would All the peasants of Bol Inqui treat the rebels with obvious but show Little of the fear that characterizes civilians reactions to the rebels deeper inside the where Contra operations result in More civilian More than a dozen Contra commanders interviewed at their Headquarters base on the honduran Nicara Guan Border say their support among civilians has in creased As their fighters have become More evident in Rural but according to recent reports from residents and human rights fun operations have been marked by violent abuses of including kidnappings and executions of suspected government some noncombat ants died in 1983 and according to nicaraguan government members of the the largest of four rebel operate in vast areas of Northern Nicaragua but admit they cannot hold any territory against govern ment the commander of democratic or fun troops along the Coco River and Admiral of a Navy of six dugout canoes equipped with outboard to says the area around Bol Inqui comes As close As any to being under rebel who would give Only his guerrilla marked the absence of sandinista soldiers with typical bravado aiming his pistol from a Canoe and taking noisy potshots at iguanas sunbathing on sandbars in the Border they never come around Here he said of the peasants say government officials have stopped distributing food outside the town of Bol Inqui to make sure it does not get to the and Many sandinista supporters have moved to towns for sandinista army claim the contras have changed tactics since Aid was Cut off by Congress in june abandoning direct confrontation for terror tactics that result in More civilian the contras acknowledge they target people who work with the government agricultural Telephone Coffee pickers on state farms and civilian Jeffrey a pro sandinista nurse from new York said he was called in Early february to attend the bodies of two teenage boys abducted while on patrol for the Sel defense unit of a government farm near both aged 16 and had their hands tied and their intestines wrapped around their necks and the Teeth of one had been pulled Gates fun leaders deny they terrorize or intentionally kill saying such tactics would Only make their Job no guerrilla Force can survive without the support of the fun military commander Enrique Bermudez said in an interview at his main base along the honduran nicaraguan and for us to attack the civilian population would be but two private human rights reports recently accused the rebels of systematic abuses of a report on fun actions by lawyer Reed a former new York state assistant attorney charged civilian casualties Are apparently a primary objective of the Contra officials of human rights groups independently con firmed Brodys a report released last month by americas a private group that monitors human rights in latin charged the fun and the Costa Ric abased democratic revolutionary Alliance have systematically violated the applicable Laws of War throughout the they have attacked civilians indiscriminately they have tortured and mutilated prisoners they have Mur dered wounded soldiers and they have committed outrages against personal the report