---
title: ARDE
aliases:
  - ARDE
  - Alianza Revolucionaria Democrática
  - Democratic Revolutionary Alliance
created: 2026-05-17
updated: 2026-05-17
category: "Paramilitary"
tags:
  - Organization
  - Contra
  - Nicaragua
  - CostaRica
  - 1980s
  - DarkAllianceInvestigation
summary: "Alianza Revolucionaria Democrática (ARDE) was a Contra faction based in Costa Rica and commanded by former Sandinista war hero Eden Pastora, formed when UDN-FARN merged with Pastora's group in September 1982."
start: 1982-09-01
location: "Costa Rica"
---
The Alianza Revolucionaria Democrática (ARDE) was a [[Contras|Contra]] faction based in [[Costa Rica]] and commanded by [[Eden Pastora]], a former [[Sandinistas|Sandinista]] war hero known as "Commandante Zero."[^1]

### Formation

ARDE was formed in September 1982 when [[UDN-FARN]], under the leadership of [[Fernando Chamorro|"El Negro" Chamorro]] and his brother [[Edmundo Chamorro]], broke away from the [[FDN]] and united with Pastora's group. The merger made political sense because both factions shared a common trait: as former Sandinistas, they hated the ex-[[Nicaraguan National Guard|National Guard]] officers who made up the FDN.[^2]

Pastora frequently outraged his [[Central Intelligence Agency]] handlers by publicly complaining about the FDN, once referring to them as "criminal mummies and gorillas." [[Enrique Bermudez|Bermúdez]] and the FDN considered Pastora a closet Communist and suspected him of being a Sandinista mole.[^2]

### CIA Oversight

Like Bermúdez, Pastora was put on the CIA's payroll, where he remained until mid-1984. When the Chamorros switched from the FDN to ARDE, they changed their line of command - reporting to Pastora instead of Bermúdez - but both Pastora and Bermúdez still reported to the CIA.[^2]

Cocaine profits from [[Norwin Meneses]]'s [[San Francisco]] drug operation, previously channeled through UDN-FARN to the FDN, likely began being used to benefit ARDE after the September 1982 merger. The CIA retained oversight responsibility throughout.[^2]

### Later Evolution

UDN-FARN later left ARDE and rejoined the FDN under the umbrella group [[UNO]].[^1]

### Footnotes

[^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Glossary of Organizations and Locations
[^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Chapter 5: "God, Fatherland and Freedom"