Nicaragua Network

1. Political news shorts
2. Five volcanoes active in Nicaragua
3. Caribbean Coast briefs
4. Mosquito abatement efforts keep Zika cases low
5. Government seeks investments to speed up reforestation
6. Police investigating cases of sexting
7. Solar expands despite low oil prices

1. Political news shorts

As part of the lead up to the Nov. 2016 presidential elections in Nicaragua, the Conservative Party and its presidential candidate Erick Cabezas won the primary elections organized by the group Hagamos Democracia (which in the past has received US “democracy-promotion” funding) with 69% of the votes. The process was marred, however, by extremely low turnout and by the withdrawal at the last minute of candidate Moises Hassan of the Citizen Action Party (PAC) who said there were anomalies in the electoral rolls. Also participating in the vote were the Christian Socialist Party, the Historic Independent Liberal Party, and the Three Revolutions Movement which is a group of non-governmental organizations. Voting began on-line on Feb. 26 and continued at polling places through Feb. 28. La Prensa reporters visited voting places in several parts of the country and found very few voters. Organizer of the “Civic Electoral Tribunal” Pedro Belli, said, “We would have liked for there to have been more participation.” (La Prensa, Feb. 29)

Meanwhile, the Independent Liberal Party (PLI) said that its regional candidates for National Assembly were being selected by local party boards after open consultation while national candidates would be chosen by the regional candidates. [The National Assembly is divided between deputies elected from the 17 departments and two autonomous regions and those voted on nationally by the whole country.] The process is expected to be completed by March 7. (La Prensa, Feb. 27)

Eduardo Montealegre, former presidential candidate and head of the dominant faction of the Independent Liberal Party (PLI), was in Washington last week where he met with State Department representatives and members of Congress. His office released a statement which said that he had spoken with US officials “about how important it was for Nicaragua to have free and transparent elections and about the current deterioration of democratic institutions in the country under the regime of President Daniel Ortega since 2007.” The previous week Montealegre had been in London at a meeting of the Liberal International where he conveyed a similar message. (Informe Pastran, Feb. 26)

On Feb. 26, Carlos Bonilla, coordinator of the Nicaraguan Democratic Movement (MDN), was attacked by five masked men in front of his house in Managua as he was preparing to board a taxi with the results of a study on public attitudes toward the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE). His files were stolen and he was stabbed twice in the abdomen, affecting one lung and his liver. He was hospitalized and is recovering from surgery. His wife was also hurt when she came to his aid. Bonilla said, “This was political because our life is political activism.” The Police were investigating the attack. Presidential candidate of the Constitutional Liberal Party Alliance Noel Vidaurre accused the Sandinista Party of responsibility for the attack. (Informe Pastran, Feb. 26, 29; La Prensa, Feb. 28, 29)

On Feb. 23, Informe Pastran noted that “as the elections move closer, the opposition (and above all the Liberals) is breaking up.” He noted the formation of still another party called the Liberal Unity with Dignity Movement (MUD) which joins the Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC), the Independent Constitutional Liberal Party, the Independent Liberal Party (PLI), and the Historic Independent Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, the Citizen Action Party, the Christian Democratic Party, the Christian Socialist Party, the New Christian Alliance Party, the Sandinista Renovation Movement, the Nicaraguan Resistance, and the Nicaraguan Democratic Force Party all in competition for the presidency and seats in the National Assembly. There are also alliances such as the National Coalition for Democracy, the Nicaraguan Democratic Movement, the Liberal Unity Union, and the Democratic Unity Alliance among others. Raul Obregon, general manager of the M&R Consultores polling firm, said, “Undoubtedly the unity of the opposition would contribute to significantly improving its performance in the upcoming national elections, but what we see so far is ever greater dispersion. If the opposition were to unite, the election would be closer but at this moment it is doubtful if it would have the capacity to beat the FSLN while most independents lean toward that party [the Sandinistas].” (Informe Pastran, Feb. 23, 24)

On Feb. 24, Jose Adan Aguerri. President of the Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP), said with reference to the November elections, “In COSEP we have said that we have to seek the greatest transparency and, knowing that we have had problems in the past, this is an opportunity to change the image that has been given. We have, then, the position that it is necessary to have independent national and international observation.” He added, “We believe that we have to motivate people to get out and vote, just the opposite of some voices who say that people shouldn’t vote. We believe that it is a right for which too much blood was shed so … in honor of all those who lost their lives for us to have these opportunities, we have to take advantage of them and improve them.” (Informe Pastran, Feb. 24)

2. Five volcanoes active in Nicaragua

Five volcanoes are currently active in Nicaragua (Momotombo, Masaya, Telica, San Cristobal, and Cerro Negro) but authorities believe that only Momotombo poses any danger to the populace. On Feb. 24, the Nicaraguan Institute for Territorial Studies (INETER) issued a recommendation that people stay at least six kilometers away from Momotombo, which since the beginning of December has daily emitted explosions of gasses, ash, rocks, lava and other incandescent material. On Feb. 26, INETER said that Masaya volcano showed the same level of activity that it has shown for the past 244 years and indicated it represented no danger. INETER added that it did not believe the recent quakes and emission of gasses at Telica and San Cristobal were leading to any larger eruptions and that the activity at Cerro Negro was minor. However, on Feb. 29, INETER reported a fracture in the floor of the crater of Telica through which lava could be observed and recommended that residents of the area and tourists stay away from the mountain.

Two explosions on Momotombo on the night of Saturday, Feb. 27 caused shock waves that frightened the residents of Nagarote, La Paz Centro, Malpaisillo, Mateare, Ciudad Sandino, El Sauce, Leon, and Posoltega. There were two more explosions on Sunday, Feb. 28. Mauricio Carcamo of La Paz Centro said that his family was awake all night observing the volcano. “It’s become unsupportable,” he said, adding, “We are affected by the sand and ash that fell on Saturday and the wind blows around clouds of the dust which affects the children and old people who have coughs.” Evert Delgadillo of the Departmental Committee for the Prevention and Attention to Disasters (CODUPRED) said that they are in constant contact with INETER and have a plan of action to put into effect if needed. (El Nuevo Diario, Feb. 24, 25, 29; Informe Pastran, Feb. 26)

3. Caribbean Coast briefs

The Inter-American Human Rights Commission (IAHRC) on Feb. 23 called on the Nicaraguan government to adopt the necessary measures to guarantee the lives and physical integrity of the members of the Miskito indigenous communities affected by the violence of the settlers who have come into their territories in recent months. It asked the government to consult with the affected people about appropriate actions and to inform the Commission within 20 days of the actions it has taken. The Commission noted that the call for these measures did not constitute a judgement of any violation of rights under international accords. The Commission noted that, according to the information it has received during the past four months, six indigenous people have been killed, dozens have been wounded, ten have been kidnapped, three women have been sexually abused, homes and crops have been burned, and many families displaced.

The Nicaraguan government replied with an official note which stated that it “has acted [with] recognition of our original people and our African descendent people.” The note went on to explain that the Nicaraguan constitution established autonomy for two Caribbean regions which have their own regional councils which function in accord with their historic traditions and said that the government has granted 22 communal property rights to indigenous communities.

Brooklyn Rivera, leader of the Yatama political party, said that while the Miskito community was encouraged by the concern expressed by the IAHRC, the government has had “deaf ears” for these recommendations and only presents the view that “indigenous rights are being respected and that we are advancing under this supposed regional autonomy.” (La Prensa, Feb. 24, 25; http://www.oas.org/es/cidh/decisiones/pdf/2016/MC505-15-Es.pdf; El Digital 19, Feb. 25; Informe Pastran, Feb. 24, 26)

Meanwhile, the Ninth Extraordinary Congress of Indigenous and African-descendent People of the Mosquitia was held in Bilwi, Puerto Cabezas, from Feb. 26 to 28. The representatives agreed to urge the government of Nicaragua to comply with the demands of the IAHCR and to urge the Yatama Party not to participate in any national election or make any alliance with a national political party. The Congress also affirmed that the indigenous must defend their properties from outside settlers and authorized the formation of community self-defense groups to that end. (La Prensa, Feb. 28, 29)

The first of what will total 38 kilometers of water pipes have been transported to Bilwi by ship and are being offloaded at the port currently. More pipes will be shipped in March and April. The project for the improvement and enlargement of Bilwi’s potable water system is part of a wider national program with funding from the Nicaraguan government, the government of Spain, the European Union, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration and others. With the completion of the project almost 100% of the population of the city of Bilwi will have potable water. (El Nuevo Diario, Feb. 25; Informe Pastran, Feb. 25)

Meanwhile, in the South Caribbean Autonomous Region, eight people were arrested for a land invasion into the Indio Maiz Biological Reserve, according to the police at El Castillo. The seven men and one adolescent are accused of fraud for illegally selling land in the Reserve and for carrying out agricultural activities on protected land. The River Foundation, an environmental group, said that it had identified nine new invasion routes into the Indio Maiz Reserve through which ten to twenty families enter the area each day. (El Nuevo Diario, Feb. 24)

4. Mosquito abatement efforts keep Zika cases low

Due to the government’s ongoing program of mosquito eradication, Nicaragua has had relatively few cases of the mosquito-borne illness Zika, which has populations and health professional throughout the Americas worried. There have been no fatalities or birth defects reported in the country. Government spokeswoman Rosario Murillo reported during a health symposium that government employees and volunteers have visited 2,270,398 homes to eliminate breeding sources for mosquitos. She reported that schools have also received 10,404 visits resulting in 9,000 actions of abatement, 8,000 fumigations, and 4,000 rodent exterminations. She urged Nicaraguans to take personal responsibility to eliminate trash which can hold water where mosquitos can breed. The house-by-house visits have resulted in 12,000 breeding grounds destroyed and 2.5 million houses fumigated. In the whole country, 92 confirmed cases of Zika have been diagnosed; six of them pregnant women.

Nicaragua is testing all suspected cases of Zika. The health systems of other affected countries do not appear to be testing those who report their illness to officials. For example, as reported by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Honduras has had 4,590 suspected cases but only two confirmed cases. You can find these numbers here http://ais.paho.org/phip/viz/ed_zika_epicurve.aspand here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zika_virus_outbreak_(2015%E2%80%93present)In related news, dengue (also carried by the aedes aegypti mosquito) claimed its fifth Nicaraguan victim in 2016, a 10 year old boy who died on Feb. 21. (Informe Pastran, Feb. 29; El Nuevo Diario, Feb. 26)

5. Government seeks investments to speed up reforestation

A Nicaraguan government delegation, led by top presidential advisor Paul Oquist, presented reforestation proposals to governments and private investors as part of a meeting in Costa Rica on the 2011 Bonn Challenge 20x20 Initiative. That initiative aims to reforest 20 million hectares in Latin America by 2020. Oquist told the group that the Nicaraguan government has budgeted for the reforestation of 1.2 million hectares supported by the World Bank Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) and other multilateral institutions. Oquist said that the government’s goal is to reach a turning point where each year there is more forest than the previous year, adding that it is imperative to stop the advance of the agricultural frontier. Delegation member Laureano Ortega presented an overview of Nicaragua’s positive macro-economic situation, and representatives of two private environmental investment companies, Moringa Partnership and EcoPlanetBamboo, offered testimonials about their past work with the Nicaraguan government. (El Nuevo Diario, Feb. 26; Nicaragua News, Feb. 26; Informe Pastran, Feb. 25)

6. Police investigating cases of sexting

The police in Chinandega are investigating numerous cases of posting of sexually explicit photos of minors on social networks. Police Commissioner Pablo Mendoza said that, in one case, photos of a minor girl that she had sent to her boyfriend were posted by others to social networks. He asked for the collaboration of the public to discover more victims of this crime which under Law 779, the Law to Prevent Violence against Women, is punishable by between two and four years in prison. Representatives of universities, the Ministry of Education, and the Nicaraguan Council for Science and Technology condemned the crimes and called on young people to use the internet properly. Gilberto Padilla of the Technological Institute for Internet Studies said that his organization would be visiting public and private schools to educate students and teachers. He added that, “Parents must control the use of the internet and of the cell phones of their adolescent children.” (El Nuevo Diario, Feb. 23, 24, 25)

7. Solar expands despite low oil prices

Despite low oil prices affecting the economics of renewable energy projects, the Nicaraguan government maintains its commitment to mediate climate change by continuing to shift electricity production to clean energy sources. On Feb. 23, the Ambassador of South Korea, Seok Hwa Hong, announced that his country’s Export Import Bank will fund a US$25 million solar energy and rural electrification project that will begin later this year. “Small rural communities are the ones that will gain access to electricity from these new solar energy plants since there are already other [electricity] grids that exist for the cities,” he said. He added, “Nicaragua is a very important country for South Korea and we want to support efforts of the government to promote greater use of solar energy. This project will begin later this year and we believe it will have a positive impact on quality of life for the Nicaraguan people,” he said. (Nicaragua News, Feb. 24; El Nuevo Diario, Feb. 23)