YATAMA had its roots in the MISURASATA (Miskito, Sumo and Rama Sandinista Alliance) and the MISURA/KISAN organisations.

In 1988, in response to the Central American peace accords, the remnants of MISURASATA and MISURA/KISAN in Honduras, Costa Rica and Miami reorganized as YATAMA, united by the traditional Miskitu leaders Steadman Fagoth and Brooklyn Rivera.

Its best electoral result was in the autonomous elections on the Caribbean Coast in 1990 where they won 26 Regional Council member seats (out of 90).

In 4 October, 2023, the party had its legal status revoked by the Supreme Electoral Council of Nicaragua merely days after its only representative in the National Assembly, Brooklyn Rivera [es], was detained by Nicaraguan Police for charges never stated.

[2] His case has thus been described as an instance of "forced disappearance" by Nicaraguan opposition media and human rights organizations.