Photos prove existence of armed Costa Rica paramilitary militia

December 5^th, 2013 (InsideCostaRica.com) A group which called itself Patrulla 1856 (The 1856 Patrol) before recently changing its name to the Frente Patriótico para la Defensa Nacional (Patriotic Front for National Defense) has released a series of photos of its militia participating in infrantry and combat training at one of the group’s camps.  The militia group consists of at least one hundred men, and is headed by the former director of the national police force (Fuerza Publica), Fabio Jose Pizarro.

Inside Costa Rica was one of the first news outlets to report the formation of the group in September.

At the time, President Laura Chinchilla condemned the formation of such a group, but downplayed the possibility that a true guerilla fighting force might be organized in Costa Rica, saying that “often [these groups] do not exist in reality,” and could simply be empty talk on social networks.

The release of a series of photos by the militia however, now proves otherwise.

The group describes itself as “a paramilitary group whose purpose is apolitical and to serve the country in support of the defense of our sovereignty, which right now is heavily compromised by the invasion by Nicaragua of Costa Rican territory, constant threats and blatant intent to seize more territory either by manipulation of international bodies or by deploying its army.  We rely on the rights granted in Article 12 of the Constitution of Costa Rica.  Our inspiration is based on the 1856 campaign, a well known story for both sides and the expulsion of the invaders.”

The ‘1856 campaign’ – and the group’s name – is taken from the Campaign of 1856-1857 when Costa Rica defeated the army of American filibuster, William Walker.  The group points to Article 12 of Costa Rica’ Constitution, saying the article provides them the right to take actions in the case of ‘clear territorial defense.’

Article 12 reads: “The Army is banned as a permanent institution […] Only by continental agreement or for national defense may military forces be organized, and shall always be subordinate to the civil power: they may not deliberate or make statements or representations individually or collectively.”

The group has stated that all Costa Ricans – both men and women – who are at least 25 years of age are able to join the ranks of its paramilitary army.

A representative of the group stated in September that it cannot “reveal the structure, size, strength or capabilities,” of its units, as “the potential enemy also uses open sources to collect intelligence data on the defense capability of Costa Rica,” adding that he can only reveal that its ranks have grown in recent days.

The representative also stated that should an armed conflict occur, the group would be disbanded after achieving its objectives and would not continue as an ongoing guerilla movement.

The group has also stated that it would only carry out operations within sovereign Costa Rican territory, “according to official maps,” in order to avoid giving Nicaragua the basis for international legal action.

The group said it is now planning to create another training camp in an undisclosed area of the Central Valley this month.