Coup Atlas Research Database
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09502081992ConspiracyDissident coup

Panama, 1992 — dissident coup conspiracy

Panama (PAN)Central America, AmericasFebruary 8, 1992

Event Summary

This entry is coded 8 February 1992, during the early-1992 period of violent attacks and alleged coup plots against President Guillermo Endara of Panama. In late January 1992 the Endara government was the target of a series of violent incidents, and about twenty people were detained in connection with the violence, which included a missile attack on a government ministry. The government announced that some of those detained had planned to kill Endara and overthrow the government on 31 January 1992.

This unfolded against a backdrop of collapsing public support for Endara, whose approval had fallen to record lows amid soaring unemployment, rising crime, and drug trafficking, and amid the continuing weakness of the police-based Public Force created after the dissolution of the Panama Defense Forces. The 8 February 1992 coding sits in this climate of anti-Endara conspiracy and violence, though as with earlier plots the large US troop presence in Panama made any successful takeover extremely unlikely.

Researched Details

Researched

Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.

Target identified in Coup Atlas research: Endara survived the alleged early-1992 plot and completed his term to 1994
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
President Guillermo Endara (target)
those detained over the January 1992 violence and alleged plot
the weakened post-PDF Public Force

Sources

In the month before late January 1992 the Endara government was the target of violent attacks, and twenty people were detained in connection with the violence, which included a missile attack on a government ministry.
SOURCE REVIEWED Christian Science Monitor: Panama's Endara Faces Widespread Discontent open source ↗
The government announced that some of those detained had planned to kill Endara and overthrow his government on 31 January 1992, one of several alleged coup plots against the Panamanian leader.
SOURCE REVIEWED Christian Science Monitor: Panama's Endara Faces Widespread Discontent open source ↗
By late 1991 Endara's approval had collapsed to about 13.5 percent, reflecting widespread discontent with high unemployment, a slow justice system, and a rising crime rate in the years after the US invasion.
SOURCE REVIEWED Christian Science Monitor: Panama's Endara Faces Widespread Discontent open source ↗
Despite the alleged plots, the presence of about 10,000 US troops along the Panama Canal made any coup attempt virtually impossible to succeed, and Endara was expected to serve out his term ending in 1994.
SOURCE REVIEWED Christian Science Monitor: Panama's Endara Faces Widespread Discontent open source ↗

Editorial Note

No discrete plot is precisely dated 8 Feb 1992 in the sources located this session; the located early-1992 event is the late-January 1992 violence and the alleged 31 Jan plot to kill Endara. The 8 Feb coding sits in this early-1992 conspiracy climate. Context with framing. Third of three Panama records in this batch, split by phase.

Cross-Reference

Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.

Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:

Cline Center id
09502081992

How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.

Outcome and Target

Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Endara survived the alleged early-1992 plot and completed his term to 1994.

Baseline coding: Plot discovered and disrupted before execution. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.

Baseline Dataset Citation

Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset, v2.2.2
Peyton, Buddy, Joseph Bajjalieh, Michael Martin, and Andrea Gerald. 2026. Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset. Cline Center for Advanced Social Research. V.2.2.2. February 17. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. doi: 10.13012/B2IDB-9651987_V10
⚑ This citation establishes the coded baseline record; use the claim-level sources above for the researched narrative.

Baseline Source-Document Entries

Chicago Tribune

“Panama Says it Nipped Overthrow Plot in the Bud,” February 8, 1992

The Guardian

“Panama Claims Security Agents Were Plotting to Kill President,” February 8, 1992

New York Times

“Coup Plot Thwarted, Panama Officials Say,” February 8, 1992

This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →

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