Nicaragua has begun to fall apart. On Tuesday the National Assembly slashed government spending by 9 percent, the economy’s expected growth has stalled, and Managua has fallen into chaos—protests have rocked Nicaragua since April and left hundreds dead.
The country’s unrest grew out of small demonstrations against proposed social security reforms. This in turn prompted brutal push back from thecentral government and local police against protesters young and old. Mass protests directed at the Ortega regime were not far behind.
The corruption of President Daniel Ortega is a national joke. He appointed his own wife vice president and schemed to reorient the entire government in order to allow him to circumvent term limits. An anti-democratic, symbiotic relationship between the government and the private sector—represented by a cronyist body called the Superior Council of Private Enterprise, or COSEP—provided some level of economic stability. At least until a few months ago.
Students and farmers protested Ortega in large numbers this spring. They set up roadblocks around the country after the April demonstrations. The COSEP, ordinarily reluctant to raise a finger against the Ortega government, largely supported the protesters. The Catholic church tried to mediate a so-called national dialogue between the government and opposition. Some called for early elections, though the country’s three-term president won’t hear of it.
Instead he chose to crush the protesters. In July, Ortega-aligned paramilitary forces mobilized to clear the roadblocks, resulting in even more bloodshed. These groups attacked the Church of Divine Mercy in Managua, where protesters sought refuge. The regime has arrested hundreds of government opponents. Others have gone into hiding. Student opposition leaders have fled the country. If Ortega is able to restore faux security in the country by sheer force, it’s possible that the the COSEP will drop its objections in exchange for the revival of their economic interests.
The U.S. has an interest in ensuring that nations in its backyard avoid outright failure and thus spread havoc. The Trump administration has punished the Nicaraguan regime by imposing Global Magnitsky sanctions and by confiscating security vehicles the U.S. donated to the government in Managua. We hope the administration will also support legislation that would condition U.S. support for international loans to Nicaragua on the regime enacting democratic reforms. The same goes for a measure that would require sanctions on Ortega officials responsible for human rights violations and corruption. Tough action now beats waiting for an international crisis.
