Sandinista guerrillas in streets call for uprising

Press, 12 April 1979, Page 6

Sandinista guerrillas in streets call for uprising

NZPA Managua (Nicaragua) Sandinista guerrillas roamed the streets of Esteli yesterday exhorting the population to fight President Anastasio Somoza, who is vacationing in the United States.

i Hundreds of residents ‘ streamed out of the mountain town, witnesses reported. The National Guard, which is the nation’s army and police force, claimed it had killed 64 guerrillas since Saturday in scattered clashes around the country. Esteli had a population of about 35,000 before a monthlong uprising against President Somoza last September in which an estimated 1500 people were killed throughout the Central American nation. During a news conference in Miami, General Somoza repeated his earlier statement that his country was not falling to the guerrillas. “The people are not with the Sandinistas. The popu-! lation is not disposed to, overthrow. My Government] is a constitutionally elected! Government,” General So- i moza said. There were reports during, the past several days ofi scattered fighting in north-1 ern cities in what appeared, to be the most serious] clashes between the anti-So-| moza guerrillas and the Nat-] ional Guard since last year’s, uprising. Reports on the fighting] have conflicted. President Somoza said be-p fore departing on Sunday:! “So sure am I of the situ-: ation that I am going on, holiday for eight days.” !i A guerrilla radio station: said on Monday: “Victory is: close.”