Nicaragua: Bishops go to Masaya to 'prevent a massacre'
June 21, 2018
The death toll in Nicaragua keeps climbing after dialogue failed to halt a resurgence of government-led violence against protesters. The Nicaraguan clergy went to Masaya to provide support to the locals.
Image: picture-alliance/A.Zuniga
Advertisement
As government forces have reportedly descended on Masaya, Auxiliary Bishop Silvio Baez traveled to the city on Thursday to "avert another massacre." Baez, who has been a leading voice in efforts to mediate the crisis, was accompanied on the trip by Vatican Ambassador Walter Sommertag.
Rights groups estimate that up to 215 people have died in the ongoing violence in Nicaragua. The government of President Daniel Ortega has only acknowledged 46 deaths.
"Nicaragua's pain is great. An unarmed people are being slaughtered. The cities are in the hands of bandits," Baez said on Thursday.
The Nicaraguan bishop said later on Thursday that police "agreed to stop the attacks" in Masaya.
Government forces turn on Masaya
Masaya was once a stronghold of Ortega's Sandinista revolution, but in the past two months it has become a focal point of the protests that seek to run him out of office.
Hundreds of police and pro-government gunmen arrived in the western Nicaraguan city on Tuesday, where protesters have erected barricades and declared the city to be "in rebellion."
Protesters in Masaya have battled pro-government forces behind makeshift barricadesImage: picture-alliance/dpa/O.Duarte
Nicaraguan Association of Human Rights head Alvaro Leiva said the pro-government forces used AK-47 assault rifles and Dragunov sniper rifles against civilian residents of the town.
Leiva reported that the southern neighborhood of Monimbo, an indigenous community, had been surrounded by as many as 600 armed men.
"It is a very serious situation, and we are afraid there have been injuries," Leiva told Nicaraguan media.
Cristian Fajardo, a student leader within the Nicaraguan opposition, said around 500 "hooded and heavily armed" men had also mobilized north of the Masaya at dawn on Thursday.
"It is incongruous to talk about dialogue and to be assassinating the people," Fajardo said.
The violence comes in the wake of another failed round of talks between the government and the opposition. Ortega has demanded that the opposition bring down the barricades they have installed in numerous highways. The opposition has demanded that the government call for early elections.
As neither side found a compromise, violence has reignited this week and the death toll continues to rise.
Experts from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the UN human rights chief's office and the EU are due to arrive in the Central American country to investigate the two-month wave of violence and to support efforts to restore calm.
Nicaragua crisis explained
Continued protests have thrown the Central American nation into political disorder. DW looks at the key events that led to the chaos.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Herrera
Daniel Ortega: A Cold War relic
Embattled President Daniel Ortega has been a fixed presence in Nicaraguan politics for decades. Following the fall of longtime dictator Anastasio Somoza, Ortega became president in 1985, heading the leftist Sandinista National Liberation Front. With deep ties to Fidel Castro, he faced US opposition. The Reagan Administration supported a right-wing guerrilla movement aimed at bringing him down.
Image: picture-alliance/ZUMAPRESS/S. Mc Kiernan
Opposition figure and return to power
After losing re-election in 1990, Ortega became a major opposition figure. Ortega finally won the presidency in 2006, riding the wave of leftist presidents in Latin America. He became a close friend and ally of Hugo Chavez. He has since changed tack, allying himself with the country's traditionally right-wing business community and clergy.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/epa/M. Lopez
Nicaraguan government consolidates power
Coupled with changes in electoral law, Ortega has prolonged and cemented his rule. In 2016, he barred international observers and nominated his wife as vice-president. The pair won the election, which was condemned by the opposition and criticized internationally by the US, OAS and the EU.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/R. Arangua
Pension reform attempt
In April 2018, Ortega announced a move to reform Nicaragua's pension system, saying that fiscal changes were needed. The reform sought to impose a 5 percent tax on retiree and disability pensions while increasing social security contributions by up to 22.5 percent. The move unleashed large-scale protests nationwide, which have been the biggest challenge Ortega has faced during his modern tenure.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Zuniga
State repression and clergy mediation
The pension plan was abandoned but protests continued, demanding Ortega's ouster. UN Human Rights experts denounced the state's harsh repression. As the death toll rose, Nicaragua's Catholic Church has demanded that Ortega allow international organizations entry to Nicaragua to help investigate the deaths and tried to set up talks between the opposition and the government.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
Government and opposition sit down
The opposition, comprised of students and a wide range of civil society groups, sat down with the government for a round of talks on May 16. The Clergy said the talks would be focused on "justice, democratization, and peace." The opposition's main demand: new presidential elections in 2019. The government rejected the demands and talks broke down.
Image: Reuters/J. Cabrera
Catholic Church under fire
Bishops and priests in the strongly Catholic country have played a key role in the crisis. In addition to mediating the peace talks that stalled in June, the bishops have also seconded the call for new elections. Ortega has described the bishops as "coup-plotters" against him, and Catholic leaders have faced threats, harassment and attacks. Protesters have marched in support of the priests.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/I. Ocon
Students as prime targets
University students have been the vanguard of the anti-Ortega movement. Many violent crackdowns have taken place on university campuses, often involving heavy gunfire. While the students say that paramilitaries loyal to Ortega are behind the shootings, the president denies that the armed individuals are under government control. He has also described the protesters as "terrorists" and "criminals."
Image: Image/Agencia EFE/J. Torres
Stalemate and instability
The death toll in four months of violence has risen to over 300 according to human rights activists, though the Ortega government says it's around 200. Protesters continue to take to the streets, describing torture, blacklists and job dismissals as repercussions for their demonstrations. In addition, the UN says over 20,000 people have sought asylum in Costa Rica in a crisis with no end in sight.
