They made it political.

https://www.konami.com/games/us/en/topics/2312/

Ariana: A tremendously skilled warrior from the Galuga Archipelago. After her village was nearly wiped out by Red Falcon's attack, she wages a one-woman war against the enemy forces.

Take control of elite Contra commandos Bill Rizer and Lance Bean as they battle the Red Falcon terrorist group, which has turned the once-peaceful Galuga Islands into an all-out warzone where the fate of mankind hangs in the balance.