Nicaraguan bishops have announced they are abandoning peace talks with the embattled administration of president Daniel Ortega after at least 11 people were killed and 79 wounded during the latest mass protest against his rule.

Tens of thousands of dissenters poured on to the streets of the capital, Managua, on Wednesday afternoon to mark Nicaragua’s Mother’s Day with a massive demonstration against Ortega’s 11-year reign.

The protest – dubbed “The Mother of All Marches” – was led by the mothers of some of the 83 protesters who have been killed since the uprising began on 18 April.

But an initially peaceful procession descended into violence after armed pro-Ortega forces opened fire on protesters, activists said. The Associated Press reported that demonstrators armed with improvised bottle-rocket launchers also opened fire. 



“There are 79 people injured and 11 dead, including a young man who was shot in the head,” José Miguel Vivanco, Human Rights Watch’s Americas director, tweeted on Thursday. 



Paulo Abrão, head of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, tweeted: “We have received SERIOUS claims of deaths and injuries due to the violence.”

The Managua-based opposition newspaper La Prensa accused Ortega of transforming the peaceful demonstration into “a bloodbath”. “Due to the situation of insecurity that reined throughout the night it was difficult to arrive at the exact number of fatal victims,” it said.

Senior members of Nicaragua’s Catholic church began mediating peace talks between Ortega and the student-led protesters on 16 May, with protesters using the dialogue to berate their unpopular president and their first lady, Rosario Murillo, as asesinos (murderers).

However, in a statement on Thursday, members of the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua said those talks could not continue while “inhuman violence which destroys the lives of the innocent” continued.



The conference said its members felt “profound pain” at Wednesday’s violence, which it blamed on armed groups with links to the government. “We energetically condemn all such acts of violence,” the bishops added.

The latest eruption of violence came just days after Amnesty International released a report accusing Nicaragua’s government of unleashing a deliberate campaign of deadly repression designed to snuff out the revolt. “The Nicaraguan authorities have turned on their own people in a vicious, sustained and frequently lethal assault,” claimed Amnesty’s Americas director, Erika Guevara-Rosas.

Guevara-Rosas claimed Ortega’s government had “shamelessly tried to cover up these atrocities” and shown “contempt for those who dare to stand up to them”. “The brave people of Nicaragua have shown that they will not be silenced,” she added.

Nicaragua’s richest man, Carlos Pellas, added his voice to a growing chorus of criticism of Ortega this week calling for early presidential elections as a way of finding “an orderly way out” of the crisis. 



Ortega, once a poster boy for the global left revered for helping overthrow the dictator Anastasio Somoza and his cold war battles with the US, has rejected calls for his exit while reportedly stepping up security around his mansion in Managua. 



“We want peace for all Nicaraguan families, security for all Nicaraguan families,” Ortega told a counter-rally on Wednesday according to the government-controlled newspaper El 19. 



El 19, which has blamed the violence on anti-government “vandals”, claimed the crowds responded by showering their Sandinista leader with kisses and hugs and cheers of “Daniel, amigo! El pueblo está contigo!” – Daniel, our friend! The people are with you!” </s> Managua — The death toll from weeks of violent unrest in Nicaragua rose to 100 by Thursday as embattled President Daniel Ortega rejected calls to step down and the Catholic Church, which has tried to mediate the conflict, refused to resume the dialogue.

At least 16 people were killed and 88 injured on Wednesday and into the early hours of Thursday as pro-and anti-government supporters clashed in a number of cities, the Nicaraguan Centre for Human Rights said in an update on Thursday.

It said this was one of the most violent days yet in a wave of protests against Ortega and his ruling party, the Sandinista National Liberation Front, that began on April 18. More than 900 people have been injured.

The protests were initially triggered by now-aborted reforms to the near-bankrupt social security system. But the unrest quickly broadened into a rejection by many Nicaraguans of Ortega and his wife, Vice-President Rosario Murillo, who are seen as autocratic.

The government and opposition agreed on Monday to resume peace talks mediated by the Catholic Church that stalled last week.

But the Nicaraguan Bishops’ Conference announced on Thursday that it would not resume the dialogue as long as "the people continue to be repressed and killed" by "groups close to the government".

The Nicaraguan Centre for Human Rights said the latest killings occurred in the capital Managua and the cities of Esteli and Masaya, while incidents also took place in Leon.

"The aggressors were the repressive police and shock forces" who report to Ortega and his wife, according to the rights group.

"Massacre! Shots are being fired against peaceful demonstrators," Managua’s auxiliary bishop, Silvio Baez, wrote on social media.

The head of the Organisation of American States, Luis Almagro, has condemned the killings by "repressive forces and the armed forces", and called on Ortega’s government to stop the violence.

The US State Department issued a statement condemning the "government’s violent response to peaceful Mother’s Day marches in Managua and other cities yesterday, including assaults on mothers mourning their children killed since protests began April 18".

Ortega, meanwhile, denounced a "conspiracy" by the opposition aimed at "terrorising" the people, referring to Wednesday’s unrest.

"There are no shock forces or paramilitaries close to the government, so we cannot accept that we are accused of tragic and painful events that we have not provoked and we would never provoke," he said in a statement.

Installations of the official radio station Radio Ya and a rural credit co-operative were burned, and the facade of the national baseball stadium was destroyed.

Offices of the opposition channel 100% Noticias, censored for several days in mid-April by the authorities because of its coverage of demonstrations, and the transmission installations of the opposition radio station Dario in Leon were also attacked, their owners reported.

Deputy national police director Francisco Diaz said "criminal groups" had attacked a pro-government event in Managua "with firearms and mortars," leaving seven dead and 91 injured by gunfire, including 20 policemen.

The opposition said on Wednesday that one person died when pro-government activists opened fire in Managua on a rally in support of mothers who have lost children in the protests.

The unrest poses the biggest crisis ever faced by Ortega, a former guerrilla leader who first ruled between 1979 and 1990 before returning as president 11 years ago.

In a speech to thousands of supporters in Managua Wednesday night, he vowed to remain in power.

"Nicaragua belongs to all of us, and here we are all going to stay," said Ortega.

The speech came a day after the country’s richest and most influential businessman appealed for presidential elections to be moved forward from 2021 in a bid to calm the unrest.

The comments by Carlos Pellas, who controls the vast Grupo Pellas empire, came as a surprise as the powerful industrialist and other business leaders have traditionally supported Ortega.

"From my point of view, and it is something largely shared in the private sector, we must find an orderly way out of this, in a constitutional way, which implies reforms including a (presidential) election moved forward" from 2021, he said in an interview with newspaper La Prensa.

Ortega must "show the willingness to dialogue and accept fundamental changes", said Pellas, who has not previously spoken out publicly about the crisis. </s> More than 20 people have been killed since Wednesday in Nicaragua in clashes between police and demonstrators at protests over planned pension reforms, the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights said on Sunday.

The center said it was still trying to verify figures. The government has so far put the death toll at 10.

A journalist, Angel Gahona, is among those killed in the violence. Gahona was shot dead in the town of Bluefields on Saturday while live-streaming the latest wave of demonstrations against the government's planned reforms.

"We believe a sniper fired the shot, it wasn't the young people ... The only people who were armed were the police and riot police," his colleague Ileana Lacayo told television station Canal 15.

Authorities have, however, blamed the attack on what they call "criminal rights groups."

The protests come after the government issued a decree calling for increases in income and payroll taxes, as well as changes to the pension system to shore up Nicaragua's troubled social security system.

President Daniel Ortega, who issued the decree, has made no apologies for his government's deadly response to the demonstrations. In his first public appearance Saturday since the violence erupted, he said he was open to talks over the dispute.

Ortega said during a nationally broadcast televised address that he wanted the talks so there would be "no more terror for Nicaraguan families." The former Marxist guerrilla hasaccused the United States of fomenting public dissent.

But Ortega said he would only discuss the issue with business leaders. He noted that the decree goes into effect July 1, and said there is time to reconsider it.

"We'll have to see what change can be made to this decree or whether we need to do a new one," he said during the televised address. "Hopefully, we can find a better way of making this change."

COSEP, a private sector business lobby, quickly put conditions on any talks with Ortega. The group said talks could not begin until the government ended police violence, released those who had been arrested for demonstrating peacefully, and re-established freedom of speech.

"We urge the government to create these conditions immediately to avoid more bloodshed," COSEP said. "We cannot go into a dialogue if these minimal conditions are not met."

Nicaragua's Roman Catholic Conference of Bishops condemned the government's violent crackdown and called on the president to drop the social security reforms.

In a statement, the conference said: "A unilateral decision always brings with it social instability. Rectifying decisions is a sign of humanity, listening is the path of reason, seeking peace at all cost is wisdom."

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here. </s> Death toll in Nicaragua unrest nears 100 as Ortega vows to stay

MANAGUA: The death toll from weeks of violent unrest in Nicaragua rose to almost 100 as embattled President Daniel Ortega rejected calls to step down and the Catholic church, which has tried to mediate the conflict, Thursday refused to resume the dialogue.

At least 11 people were killed and 79 wounded on Wednesday as pro- and anti-government supporters clashed in a number of cities, the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH) said.

The deaths brought to 98 the number of people killed in a wave of protests that began on April 18 against Ortega and his ruling party, the Sandinista National Liberation Front. Over 900 have been wounded.

The protests were initially triggered by now-aborted reforms to the near-bankrupt social security system, but the unrest quickly broadened into a rejection by many Nicaraguans of Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, who are seen as autocratic.

The government and opposition had agreed on Monday to resume peace talks mediated by the Catholic church that stalled last week.But the Nicaraguan Bishops’ Conference announced Thursday that it will not resume the dialogue as long as “the people continue to be repressed and killed” by “groups close to the government”.

The CENIDH said the latest killings occurred in the capital Managua and the cities of Esteli and Masaya, and incidents also took place in Leon.“The aggressors were the repressive police” and anti-riot forces who report to Ortega and his wife, according to the rights group.

“Massacre! Shots are being fired against peaceful demonstrators,” Managua’s auxiliary bishop, Silvio Baez, wrote on social media late Wednesday.Installations of the official radio station Radio Ya and a rural credit cooperative were burned and the facade of the national baseball stadium was destroyed.

Offices of the opposition channel 100% Noticias, censored for several days in mid-April by the authorities because of its coverage of demonstrations, and the transmission installations of the opposition radio station Darío in Leon were also attacked, their owners reported.

Deputy National Police director Francisco Diaz said Wednesday people wearing hoods fired guns and mortars at families taking part in a pro-government rally in Managua, leaving 12 injured including five police. </s> MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — The latest on unrest in Nicaragua (all times local):

Nicaragua's president says the government is withdrawing changes to the social security system that had triggered protests, riots and looting over the past week.

President Daniel Ortega said Sunday in a message to the nation that the social security board of directors has canceled the changes implemented on April 16.

The overhaul sought to shore up Nicaragua's troubled social security system with a combination of reduced benefits and increased taxes.

The changes touched off protests across the Central American nation that escalated into clashes with police as well as looting.

Human rights groups say at least 26 people have been killed in several days of clashes. Dozens of shops in the Nicaraguan capital of Managua have been looted.

The U.S. State Department is accusing Nicaragua's government of overreacting to protests during days of unrest in which human rights groups say more than two dozen people have died.

Sunday's statement says U.S. officials "condemn the violence and the excessive force used by police and others against civilians who are exercising their constitutional right to freedom of expression and assembly. "

It's calling for "broad?-based dialogue involving all sectors o?f society" and urges the government to allow an independent investigation into the deaths.

Pope Francis has expressed deep worry over deadly violence in Nicaragua fueled by protests and he's pressing for a peaceful solution.

Human rights advocates say that since April 18 at least 26 people have been killed in unrest over social security reforms planned by President Daniel Ortega's government. Dozens have been injured or arrested.

Francis told people in St. Peter's Square that he's "very worried" about the situation in the Central American country.

He said he's expressing "closeness in prayer to that beloved country" and joining local bishops in seeking an end to "every violence, that useless bloodshed is avoided and that open issues are resolved peacefully and with a sense of responsibility."

Ortega says his government is willing to enter into talks over the dispute.

In the grainy, nighttime video, journalist Angel Gahona, clad in jeans and a blue shirt, holds up a cellphone and narrates as he approaches the facade of city hall in Bluefields, Nicaragua, reporting live via Facebook on protests that have rocked the Central American nation for four days.

Seconds later a gunshot rings out and Gahona slumps lifeless to the curb. Voices cry his name and someone presses a piece of cloth to his head to try to staunch the stream of blood. Another Bluefields reporter, Ileana Lacayo, confirms that he died before reaching the hospital.

Besides Gahona at least 25 others have been killed since Wednesday in unrest over social security reforms planned by President Daniel Ortega's government, according to a human rights group. </s> The death toll from weeks of violent unrest in Nicaragua rose to 100 Thursday as embattled President Daniel Ortega rejected calls to step down and the Catholic Church, which has tried to mediate the conflict, refused to resume the dialogue.

At least 16 people were killed and 88 injured on Wednesday and into the early hours of Thursday as pro and anti-government supporters clashed in a number of cities, the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH) said Thursday in an updated toll. It said this was one of the most violent days yet in a wave of protests that began on April 18 against Ortega and his ruling party, the Sandinista National Liberation Front. Over 900 have been injured.

Diaz attributed the violence to "criminal groups," while a statement by Ortega linked those groups with the opposition.

Ortega denounced a "conspiracy" by the opposition aimed at "terrorizing" the people, referring to Wednesday's unrest.

"There are no shock forces or paramilitaries close to the government, so we cannot accept that we are accused of tragic and painful events that we have not provoked and we would never provoke," he said in a statement.

The Bishops' Conference denounced action by "armed groups close to the government against the civilian population" and said it was impossible to now resume dialogue in which the Catholic Church had mediated between civil society organizations and the authorities.

The army meanwhile denied that security forces had cooperated with paramilitary groups to crack down on demonstrators.

"We shall never accept slanderous information. The Nicaraguan army has absolute control over its forces," according to the statement.

Installations of the official radio station Radio Ya and a rural credit cooperative were burned and the facade of the national baseball stadium was destroyed.

The Central American country has been in turmoil since April 17, when protests erupted against new taxes on old age and disability pensions, as well as an increase in social security contributions. </s> The death toll from weeks of violent unrest in Nicaragua rose to almost 100 as embattled President Daniel Ortega rejected calls to step down and the Catholic church, which has tried to mediate the conflict, Thursday refused to resume the dialogue.

At least 11 people were killed and 79 wounded on Wednesday as pro- and anti-government supporters clashed in a number of cities, the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH) said Thursday.

The deaths brought to 98 the number of people killed in a wave of protests that began on April 18 against Ortega and his ruling party, the Sandinista National Liberation Front. Over 900 have been wounded.

The protests were initially triggered by now-aborted reforms to the near-bankrupt social security system, but the unrest quickly broadened into a rejection by many Nicaraguans of Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, who are seen as autocratic.

The government and opposition had agreed on Monday to resume peace talks mediated by the Catholic church that stalled last week.

But the Nicaraguan Bishops’ Conference announced Thursday that it will not resume the dialogue as long as “the people continue to be repressed and killed” by “groups close to the government.”

The CENIDH said the latest killings occurred in the capital Managua and the cities of Esteli and Masaya, and incidents also took place in Leon.

“The aggressors were the repressive police and shock forces” who report to Ortega and his wife, according to the rights group.

The head of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro, on Thursday condemned the killings by “repressive forces and the armed forces,” and called on Ortega’s government to stop the violence.

Ortega denounced a “conspiracy” by the opposition aimed at “terrorizing” the people, referring to Wednesday’s unrest.

“There are no shock forces or paramilitaries close to the government, so we cannot accept that we are accused of tragic and painful events that we have not provoked and we would never provoke,” he said in a statement.

Installations of the official radio station Radio Ya and a rural credit cooperative were burned and the facade of the national baseball stadium was destroyed.

Offices of the opposition channel 100% Noticias, censored for several days in mid-April by the authorities because of its coverage of demonstrations, and the transmission installations of the opposition radio station Dario in Leon were also attacked, their owners reported.

Deputy National Police director Francisco Diaz said Wednesday people wearing hoods fired guns and mortars at families taking part in a pro-government rally in Managua, leaving 12 injured including five police.

Two of the 12 — members of the youth branch of the ruling Sandinista party — later died, he added.

The opposition said another person died when pro-government activists opened fire in Managua on a rally in support of mothers who have lost children in the protests.

The unrest poses the biggest crisis ever faced by Ortega, a former guerrilla leader who first ruled between 1979 and 1990 before returning as president 11 years ago.

In a speech to thousands of supporters in Managua Wednesday night, he vowed to remain in power.

“Nicaragua belongs to all of us, and here we are all going to stay,” said Ortega, 72.

The speech came a day after the country’s richest and most influential businessman appealed for presidential elections to be moved forward from 2021 in a bid to calm the unrest.

The comments by Carlos Pellas, who controls the vast Grupo Pellas empire, came as a surprise as the powerful industrialist and other business leaders have traditionally supported Ortega.

“From my point of view, and it is something largely shared in the private sector, we must find an orderly way out of this, in a constitutional way, which implies reforms including a (presidential) election moved forward” from 2021, he said in an interview with newspaper La Prensa.

Ortega must “show the willingness to dialogue and accept fundamental changes,” said Pellas, 65, who has not previously spoken out publicly about the crisis. </s> MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — The Latest on unrest in Nicaragua (all times local):

Pope Francis has expressed deep worry over deadly violence in Nicaragua fueled by protests and he’s pressing for a peaceful solution.

Human rights advocates say that since April 18 at least 26 people have been killed in unrest over social security reforms planned by President Daniel Ortega’s government. Dozens have been injured or arrested.

Francis told people in St. Peter’s Square that he’s “very worried” about the situation in the Central American country.

He said he’s expressing “closeness in prayer to that beloved country” and joining local bishops in seeking an end to “every violence, that useless bloodshed is avoided and that open issues are resolved peacefully and with a sense of responsibility.”

Ortega says his government is willing to enter into talks over the dispute.

In the grainy, nighttime video, journalist Angel Gahona, clad in jeans and a blue shirt, holds up a cellphone and narrates as he approaches the facade of city hall in Bluefields, Nicaragua, reporting live via Facebook on protests that have rocked the Central American nation for four days.

Seconds later a gunshot rings out and Gahona slumps lifeless to the curb. Voices cry his name and someone presses a piece of cloth to his head to try to staunch the stream of blood. Another Bluefields reporter, Ileana Lacayo, confirms that he died before reaching the hospital.

Besides Gahona at least 25 others have been killed since Wednesday in unrest over social security reforms planned by President Daniel Ortega’s government, according to a human rights group. </s> Nicaraguan Health Minister Sonia Castro confirmed Thursday that 15 people have died and 199 have been wounded over the past two days of anti-government protests around the country.

At public and private health centers nationwide "(medical) attention was provided to 199 people who were injured and we also have 15 fatalities," said the minister at a press conference together with other top public officials.

This is the second time since the eruption of the crisis on April 18 that the Daniel Ortega government has confirmed fatalities resulting from the protests, although humanitarian organizations say that the death toll so far stands at about 100.

The first time the government acknowledged protest deaths was when Vice President Rosario Murillo spoke of 10 fatalities in an April 20 appearance before reporters.

The assistant director of the National Police, Francisco Diaz, on Thursday at the press conference read from a report specifying that of the 15 deaths over the past two days, seven occurred in Managua, four in Esteli, three in Chinandega and one in Masaya.

On Thursday, the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights released a preliminary report in which it lists at least 11 deaths and 79 people injured during the incidents on Wednesday and Thursday, and it energetically condemned the acts of violence and repression "ordered" by the government.

Foreign Minister Denis Moncada said that the government is "confronting with reason and the law this criminal wave" and denied the existence of "shock troops or paramilitary groups aligned with the government," adding that the Ortega administration had not and will "never" provoke such "sorrowful and tragic events."

He urged the "authorities to coordinate the effort for national dialogue, call for calm and cease all violence, with an eye toward continuing to work for security, justice and peace."

A Catholic Church-mediated national dialogue to find a way out of the crisis was begun on May 16 with the participation of an alliance of civil society sectors and the government but it was suspended last week.

The Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua warned on Thursday that the dialogue will not be resumed as long as the government continues with its repression.

Nicaragua is mired in a socio-political crisis that began with protests over government-sponsored social security reforms but continued even after the Ortega administration cancelled the reforms, exacerbated as a result of the demonstrators killed.
Catholic bishops cancel the planned Episcopal Conference talks with the government after protests against Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega turn violent. According to the Nicaraguan Human Rights Center, pro-government armed groups killed 11 people.