Operation Just Cause was a US military action against Panama in 1989 to depose dictator General Noriega. The US had a strong relationship with Panama due to the Panama Canal. Noriega had worked with the CIA and was linked to drug trafficking. The conflict lasted two months, with casualties on both sides and civilian deaths estimated between 200 and 4,000. After the conflict, rumors circulated about connections between Noriega and President George HW Bush.
Operation Just Cause was a military action undertaken by the United States against Panama in December 1989. The conflict, which lasted approximately two months, involved the invasion of the Latin American country by approximately 28,000 US troops commanded by General Maxwell Thurman. The overall mission was to depose Panamanian dictator General Manuel Noriega. The battle is one of the most recognized conflicts of 1989.
The United States has maintained a strong relationship with Panama since the Spanish-American War, funding the construction of the Panama Canal, the major transit and shipping facility connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. On September 7, 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, which promised to cede ownership of the canal to the Panamanians in 2000. Due to the fact that the sea route is one of the most important sea routes in the world, maintaining strong relations with the country they were very important.
In 1983, General Noriega took control of the country after a military coup. He had previously worked closely with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) against communist revolutionaries in Central America and the Drug Enforcement Administration to stop drug shipments. Noriega himself was also linked to a number of drug trafficking organizations accused of transporting narcotics into the United States. President Ronald Reagan attempted to negotiate with the dictator, claiming that Noriega was using his position to make both sides of the war on drugs work against each other. Reagan wanted Noriega to resign peacefully in exchange for avoiding prosecution.
After an attempted coup against the dictator in 1989, allegations of electoral fraud drew international attention to Noriega’s reign. Much of Panama’s population lived in fear of the leader’s police force. Additionally, the US ambassador cited an incident in which one US serviceman was killed and three others were kidnapped and tortured. According to the United States, this was reason to justify the intervention of the military in Operation Just Cause through the United Nations Security Council. This was followed by a series of further incidents in which multiple United States military service members were harassed, beaten and killed throughout Panama.
Operation Just Cause was launched on December 20, 1989, making it the largest combat operation since the Vietnam War. In a joint effort by all branches of the military, the overwhelming force exerted by the United States was swift and decisive. The Panamanian Defense Force was essentially dismantled within days. Noriega himself took refuge in a Vatican mission. US officials negotiated his surrender on January 3, 1990.
Although Operation Just Cause was short-lived, there were still casualties on both sides. The United States suffered 23 killed and 325 wounded. The Panamanian forces suffered 205 killed and 1,236 captured. Reports estimate civilian deaths at between 200 and 4,000 depending on sources. Two journalists, one American and one Spanish, were also killed.
In the aftermath of the conflict, many rumors circulated about connections between Noriega and President George HW Bush, the former head of the CIA. In the film The Panama Deception, a 1992 documentary, he claims that Operation Just Cause was undertaken in an attempt to undo the Torrijos-Carter treaties. Other concerns have also been raised regarding the shooting of mass graves, the use of experimental weapons by the United States and the estimated 20,000 refugees created by the conflict.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
