Nicaragua on edge

Violence flares in a Central American hotspot

Months of civil unrest in Nicaragua have come to a head in recent weeks with violent crackdowns on demonstrations in the streets.

President Daniel Ortega’s regime has resorted to detaining critics, banning opposition parties and violence by not just police but paramilitary gangs shooting at protesters in an attempt to cling to power.

Hundreds have been shot in recent weeks. Among the most shocking attack by government forces came at a Managua church where about 150 protesting students had taken refuge. Police shot at the church, killing two students. The siege came to an end only when Nicaraguan bishops negotiated on their behalf.

Mr. Ortega first came to prominence as a Sandinista rebel leader during Nicaragua’s 1979 revolution. Since then, he has served two stints as president. For years, as Nicaragua’s economy was stable, he enjoyed the support of the country’s elite, even as his regime became more and more corrupt.

Like Cuba, Nicaragua relied on the support of cheap oil from ally Venezuela. With that country itself now on the verge of both political and economic collapse, Nicaragua finds itself in a perilous position.

None of this is without consequence in the United States. Many of the asylum-seeking migrants coming to the United States border are fleeing Nicaragua and similar unrest elsewhere in Central America.

The United States has joined the Organization of American States, the European Union and the United Nations in condemning the government, not that that has made much difference. The U.S. has called for free and fair elections in the country to restore democracy and order.

As in Venezuela, though, it’s clear that what is called for here is some coordinated multilateral diplomatic pressure from a coalition of nations with influence in Nicaragua.