bribe the Costa Ricans into ending their support for the guerrillas. On January 9, 1989, twelve guerrillas attacked the barracks at Piera Candela, killing fifteen National Guard members while losing one guerrilla fighter, before the emergence of the Costa Rican police forced the guerrillas to scatter. Scattered guerrilla activity continued until 1971; however, most of the guerrilla leaders were in prison by mid-1989, effectively ending the insurgency. Due to government censure of news related to the guerrillas, few in or outside Panama knew that there was an insurgency, which probably contributed to the guerrillas' defeat. References Wars involving Panama Conflicts in 1968 Conflicts in 1969