Nicaragua Network

1. Nicaragua marks International Women’s Day
2. Women workers and business owners confront problems
3. Canal briefs: more archeological discoveries; Bill Wild interview; medical teams; Fortune and Forbes articles
4. Volcanic eruptions and earth tremblers continue; National Geographic to film
5. Political briefs: M&R poll; electoral observers; Obando as Hero of Peace; Cabezas retires
6. Government responds to pine beetle destruction
7. Zika cases remain few in Nicaragua

1. Nicaragua marks International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day on Mar. 8 was marked with a number of events in Nicaragua. Government spokesperson Rosario Murillo congratulated Nicaraguan women on the occasion saying, “We celebrate the leadership of brave women, women with whom we have been breaking trails, opening doors, with our sustained efforts to transform society without abandoning our valuable traditional culture, our faith, our families, and our communities.” She announced that, in honor of the day, 10,000 property titles would be given to women in communities throughout the country. In the National Assembly, Sandinista Deputy Martha Marina Gonzalez, chair of the Committee on Women, Youth, Children, and the Family, said the advances that women had made were evident with 38 women deputies in a legislature of 92 members, and with women at the head of half of the 16 government ministries. National Police Chief Aminta Granera said that 36% of the nation’s police officers are women and Supreme Court President Alba Luz Ramos added that 65% of judges are women. Opposition Deputy Luis Callejas of the Independent Liberal Party said that women’s presence was of little value because the Sandinista women had to follow direction from their party.

Women marching in Managua on Mar. 8 carried signs demanding justice for Berta Cáceres, the Honduran human rights and environmental activist who was murdered in that country on March 3. Reyna Rodriguez of the Network of Women Against Violence said, “We demand that the Honduran government investigate the murder of this brave, dignified, and exemplary woman.” [Ed. Note: The position of Caceres’ family, her organization COPINH, and Honduran social movements is that the Honduran government cannot investigate itself. They are calling for an independent international investigation under the auspices of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.]

The Autonomous Women’s Movement also condemned violence against Nicaraguan women saying that 14 women have been murdered already this year running ahead of the total of 53 in all of 2015. The marchers were not allowed by police to proceed to their destination at the Ruben Dario Circle where a concert was planned because the route passed in front of the Supreme Electoral Council where opposition political parties regularly hold demonstrations.

On Mar. 15, the results of a study by Japanese social scientists were released that showed Latin America as the region with the highest participation of women in positions of responsibility with Nicaragua in the top spot. Iyo Kunimoto, of Chuo University in Tokyo said, “Latin America is the area that has had the greatest success in implanting policies to bridge the gender gap.” She spoke in favor of quotas, common in Latin American countries, which she said work well to increase women’s participation. She contrasted that to Japan where women hold only 10% of government positions. (Radio La Primerisima, Mar. 15; El Nuevo Diario, Mar. 8; Informe Pastran, Mar. 7, 8; Terra, Mar. 8; La Prensa, Mar. 8)

2. Women workers and business owners confront problems

On Mar. 6, five hundred women who work in Free Trade Zone factories met to discuss the problems they face, among them work-related illnesses and injuries. At the Colloquium of Women FTZ Workers, Yasbel Soza said she has worked 16 years in garment factories and has developed severe back pain. Several doctors in the FTZ had told her it was stress and had given her pills but finally another doctor, Frank Rodriguez, who participated in the colloquium, told her that it was a back problem that was common among garment workers. Sandra Ramos of the Maria Elena Cuadra Movement, which organized the colloquium, said that conditions in the factories are damaging the health of the women who suffer herniated disks and other spinal problems, joint pain and other conditions. Dr. Rodriguez added that, without prevention and proper diagnosis, workers can suffer permanent damage that can impair their ability to work.

A study sponsored by the Nicaraguan Foundation for Economic and Social Development (FUNIDES) and the Superior Council on Private Enterprise (COSEP) found that women confront barriers when they attempt to apply for credit in the nation’s financial system. While the study did not find open discrimination, in some cases women could not get credit for planting because the farm titles were in their husbands’ names. Many women-operated small businesses were not licensed and therefore the female owners could not get credit. Blanka Callejas, president of the Network of Businesswomen of Nicaragua (REN), added that often the terms of the credit offered do not match the needs of women’s businesses and that the women often need more education on financial subjects. (El Nuevo Diario, Mar. 7, 8, 9; La Prensa, Mar. 6)

3. Canal briefs: more archeological discoveries; Bill Wild interview; medical teams; Fortune and Forbes articles

On Mar. 11, the HKND Group, which holds the concession to build a shipping canal across Nicaragua, turned over to the Nicaraguan Institute of Culture another 5,000 pieces discovered during the archeological studies mandated by the environmental impact report completed last year. The pieces were discovered along the canal route principally in the Department of Rivas. Luis Morales, co-director of the Institute, noted that Nicaraguan archeology has had severe financial limitations and said, “In this study, we have, for the first time, dates for discovered materials corroborated by Carbon 14 tests.” On March 31, the Institute of Culture will hold a symposium in Managua on the findings from the canal route which now total some 50,000 pieces. The Mar. 11th HKND report on the archeological studies can be read here: http://hknd-group.com/portal.php?mod=list&catid=54 (Radio La Primerisima, Mar. 11; Informe Pastran, Mar. 11)

El Nuevo Diario published on Mar. 10 an interview with Bill Wild, chief project advisor to the HKND Group, in which he listed the various studies that are being carried out or will be carried out under HKND contracts. He said that, along with the archeological studies expected to be completed by April, Australia CSA Global is doing a topographical study with high definition photography and magnetic and radiometric studies. Studies on water balance and salinity will soon be contracted out, he said. On Dec. 8, after a competitive bidding process, the BMT Group, an international design and engineering company, was contracted to develop operation plans for the canal and its ports. Wild added that upon the completion of the studies, possibly in August or September of this year, work could begin on the first stage of the port on the Pacific. Wild said HKND was committed to compensate property owners along the route of the canal at market value or relocate them to communities near their current homes with infrastructure superior to that in their present communities and he said that the company was committed to operating in accord with best international practices. He added that many jobs would be available to local residents. (El Nuevo Diario, Mar. 10; Informe Pastran, Mar. 10)

On Mar. 9, the Nicaraguan government sent a group of 90 doctors and other health professionals, members of the Movement of Sandinista Doctors, to work in rural communities along the canal route in the Departments of Rivas and Rio San Juan as well as the South Caribbean Autonomous Region for periods of from one to three months. Among the specialties represented are general practitioners, internists, pediatricians, orthopedists, obstetricians and gynecologists, along with registered and practical nurses. Along with other health education efforts, the health professionals will teach residents methods to prevent the reproduction of the aedes aegypti mosquito which transmits dengue, chikungunya and Zika. (El Nuevo Diario, Mar. 9)

The international media continues to cover the Nicaraguan canal with articles published recently in Fortune and Forbes magazines’ on-line editions. While noting that Nicaragua’s per capita income could rise dramatically if the canal were to become a reality, David Z. Morris writing for Fortune notes that the backer of the HKND Group Wang Jing, who has personally funded much of the preliminary work, lost much of his fortune in the Chinese stock market collapse. The article also quotes maritime risk consultant and long-time sea captain Andrew Kinsey as saying that the Nicaraguan canal is so long that ships would either have to lay up at night or navigate in the dark, both of which he called “pretty tricky.” Kinsey also questions the canal’s financial feasibility noting that costs for the project could reach US$100 billion and that the fees for use of the Nicaraguan canal would have to be double that of the Panama canal. (Fortune.com, Feb. 29; Informe Pastran, Mar. 1)

In Forbes, Paul Coyer focuses on the geopolitical aspects of the canal project. He says that while the US no longer owns the Panama Canal, China assumes that in the event of hostilities Washington would take control of it, “potentially refusing transit to Chinese naval vessels.” The Nicaraguan canal would provide an alternative and he speculates about China’s diplomatic efforts in the Latin American region, including in Nicaragua. He quotes Gabriel Marcella of the US Army War College as saying, “The construction of the new channel cannot be conceived without a military alliance that provides an umbrella to such large investments that come, in particular, from China.” Coyer, however, believes that the canal “faces so many challenges that it is unlikely to ever come to fruition.” (Forbes.com, Feb. 20; Informe Pastran, Feb. 22)

4. Volcanic eruptions and earth tremblers continue; National Geographic to film

A swarm of earth tremblers has been registered under and around Lake Xolotlan (Lake Managua) since March 8. Government spokeswoman Rosario Murillo said on Mar. 14 that in the 72 hours previous to her daily press briefing there had been 20 tremblers, the strongest of which registered 2.9 on the Richter scale. As for the country’s volcanoes, Momotombo registered 33 small explosions of gas and ash over the weekend and Telica and Masaya remained active as well. Besides the activity under and around Xolotlan, Murillo said that there have also been numerous quakes in other parts of the country with the strongest southeast of Jiquilillo which registered 4.5 on the Richter scale. William Martinez of the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies (INETER) said, “The events that we are registering are weak and of low magnitude and they do not predict anything bigger in the next few days or weeks.”

In related news, Murillo announced that a team from the National Geographic Channel was planning a visit to Nicaragua to do a documentary film about the Masaya volcano. The National Geographic representative, she said, “was very interested in the extraordinary lakes of lava in Masaya volcano” and would bring a team of scientists, explorers, and film technicians. (Informe Pastran, Mar. 14; El Nuevo Diario, Mar. 14)

5. Political briefs: M&R poll; electoral observers; Obando--Hero of Peace; Cabezas retires

The polling firm M&R Consultores released a new poll on Mar. 14 in which 1,991 people over 16 from both urban and rural areas throughout the country were surveyed between Feb. 25 and Mar. 6, using a methodology in which the subjects marked their answers to the questions on paper forms which they inserted into black boxes. Sixty-five percent said that they intended to vote for the Sandinista Party; 20.6% declined to mark a preference; 5.4% indicated they would vote for the Independent Liberal Party (PLI); 5.3% for the Constitutional Liberal Party (PLC); and 1.8% for the Conservative Party. Eighty-three percent of those polled said that they supported national electoral observers while 77.5% supported international observers with majorities of both Sandinistas and non-Sandinistas supporting observers. Ninety-one percent of those polled said that they had their voter registration cards while 9% said that they did not. The 9% who do not yet have their cards were principally those who will be voting for the first time: 63.1% of those first time voters have their cards. (El Nuevo Diario, Mar. 14; Informe Pastran, Mar. 14)

Roberto Rivas, president of the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE), said on Mar. 11 that, while no decision had yet been made about electoral observers, the political parties would have more than 150,000 poll watchers on hand to observe the election at each voting place. Meanwhile, representatives from the Carter Center were in Nicaragua meeting with, according to program director for the Americas Jennie Lincoln, “all sectors of the country, with the private sector, with NGOs, with the political parties, the CSE, the government.” [The Carter Center has observed a number of Nicaraguan elections including in 1996 when they observed fraud but decided not to challenge it.] (El Nuevo Diario, Mar. 11; Informe Pastran, Mar. 10)

Cardenal Miguel Obando was named Hero of Peace and Reconciliation by the National Assembly and recognized at a ceremony on Mar. 10 attended by representatives of all branches of government, former leaders of the contra army, and priests with whom he had differences through the years such as Fr. Miguel de Escoto. He was witness and guarantor of ceasefires, truces, and political dialogues at times of conflict before the Sandinista victory, between the Sandinista government and the contras in the 1980s, and during the negotiations of the Sapoá accords that ended the war, and the accords to demobilize the contras in the 1990s. Most recently he served as president of the Peace and Reconciliation Commission. (Informe Pastran, Mar. 10)

Long-time Human Rights Ombudsman Omar Cabezas submitted his resignation to President Daniel Ortega last week saying that he was leaving due to health problems. He said, “With time we all deteriorate. I have to tell you that I am having memory problems that limit my work here nationally and our modest contribution at the international level.” Cabezas is best known for his autobiographical memoir of his time in the mid-1970s in the mountains of northern Nicaragua with the FSLN titled in English as Fire from the Mountain. (El Nuevo Diario, Mar. 11)

6. Government responds to pine beetle destruction

The voracious pine beetle, dendroctonus frontalis, continues to spread in Nicaragua’s northern pine forest prompting a government plan to halt the economic and environmental losses. William Schwartz, executive director of the National Forestry Institute (INAFOR) stated, “We have begun a sanitation campaign to prevent the proliferation of beetle outbreaks so that they don’t spread here as they have in Honduras. That would be a catastrophe because we only have 300,000 hectares of pine forest.” At this point, approximately 140 hectares are affected, primarily along the border with Honduras where half a million hectares are infested with the beetle. He told the National Assembly Environmental Committee that the plan was developed last October and includes monitoring and cutting trees where there is a beetle infestation. He explained that, because the beetles can fly, they must cut both diseased and healthy trees surrounding the infestation in order to eradicate the beetle. He pointed as an example to the area around San Jose de Cusmapa, Madriz, where 210 hectares of trees were logged, enough to fill 800 trucks. “People in the area wondered why there were so many logging trucks passing through, but if we don’t sanitize the area, the beetle will proliferate,” he explained. He said that there are currently 49 infestations on farms and 17 in protected forests spread through Nueva Segovia, Madriz, Estelí, Matagalpa, Jinotega, Chinandega and Leon, indicating that they have to take immediate action. He pointed out that climate change is exacerbating the problem. The eradication plan also calls for burning trees that are already infested and fumigating other trees before they can be used for firewood. (El Nuevo Diario, Mar. 11)

7. Zika cases remain few in Nicaragua

The Ministry of Health announced the diagnosis of nine more cases of Zika over the weekend to bring the total cases to 119 out of Nicaragua’s population of six million. None of the new cases were pregnant women. The disease is spread by mosquito and has been linked in Brazil and French Polynesia to some babies born with brain abnormalities although no cases of this birth defect have been reported in other countries. The Zika disease is not fatal and some of those infected do not show symptoms. However, women of child-bearing age are urged to show caution. The Nicaraguan government has responded to the spread of the disease by ramping up its ongoing campaign to eradicate standing water and other mosquito breeding grounds in populated areas. As for other mosquito borne illnesses, government spokeswoman Rosario Murillo reported that in 2016 so far there have been 1,047 cases of dengue fever, with eight people dying of the illness, and 119 cases of chikungunya. Malaria is spread by a different species of mosquito and there have not been any media reports on it. (El Nuevo Diario, Mar. 12, 14)