Andres Sargen, 88, Cuban Exile Leader
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Andres Nazario Sargen, who helped lead the paramilitary group that for decades tried to overthrow Cuban President Fidel Castro, died late Wednesday of colon cancer,
During the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, Nazario worked with guerrillas operating independently of Castro’s rebel movement. When Castro came to power on Jan. 1, 1959, Nazario and other guerrilla leaders had faced execution.
They left for Miami in 1961 and joined with other Cuban exiles to form Alpha 66 – named for its 66 original members. The group is the oldest anti-Castro group in Miami and claims to have staged clandestine operations in Cuba to overthrow Castro. It still advocates an armed civil uprising in Cuba.
Nazario and his brother also helped found the Orthodox Party, a reformist party that fought corruption.
