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An anti-riot police officer in clashes with opponents in Masaya, Nicaragua, July 13, 2018. REUTERS / Oswaldo Rivas
In Nicaragua, pro-government forces continue their operation in Masaya, about thirty kilometers from the capital. This incursion, renamed by the opposition "Operation Cleanup", targets the indigenous Monimbo neighborhood, where the population is strongly mobilized against President Ortega, whose resignation he is demanding. The goal for the government is to overcome the barricades that completely paralyze the city and some roads of the country for several weeks. The violent repression of the protest has already killed some 300 people since 18 April.
On the recordings that arrive, the inhabitants of Masaya witness bursts of automatic weapons and heavy weapons fire from all over the city. They tell of the hooded men, dressed in blue shirts and assault rifles who roam this city of 100,000, the most mobilized in recent months against the Ortega government.
For the lawyer Juanita Jimenez, whose family is on the spot, the repression is still mounted a notch: " There is no limit. On official radios, they broadcast songs where these people are designated as terrorists, messages that encourage the criminal acts of pro-government forces against the civilian population. "
For Paul Oquist, the Nicaraguan Minister for National Policies, the advance of pro-government forces is a good thing. The promise, he said, of a quick return to normal. " The good news from Nicaragua is that the coup failed. This is very good news, because it will allow dialogue, which the putschists did not want. "
An operation that comes at a time when the international community is calling for an end to repression. On Tuesday, July 17, the Vatican representative in Nicaragua called for a truce and the return of the government and opposition to the negotiating table.