World Notes NICARAGUA

Monimbo, an Indian quarter in the city of Masaya, has a special place in Sandinista mythology. It was there in 1978 that residents launched the first urban insurrection against President Anastasio Somoza, sparking the revolution that toppled the dictator and put the Sandinistas in power. Ever since, official speeches have resounded with accolades to "heroic Monimbo." Last week Monimbo was up in arms again, only this time the target was the Sandinista regime.

The trouble began when soldiers rounded up several dozen youths accused of evading the military draft. Some 20 protesters, mostly relatives of the young men taken into custody, surged through the streets chanting "Join us." The mob swelled to about 1,000, stoned a police station and torched several government-owned vehicles. To quell the disturbances, Interior Minister Tomas Borge personally led a force of paramilitary units from the capital of Managua. Authorities detained 16 antigovernment activists.