Nicaragua Network

1. Tropical storm Hanna dissipates after another week of downpours
2. Unity talks between Liberal parties break down
3. Canal studies move forward; protests continue
4. Twelve thousand university graduates without diplomas
5. Decree will allow logging in pine forests for one year
6. Tourism continues to increase
7. Central American farmers examine Nicaragua’s agro-forestry system
8. Drug enforcement seizures continue
9. International bird festival to be held in Nicaragua
10. Don Coan, long-time Nicaragua solidarity activist, dies in Sacramento

1. Tropical storm Hanna dissipates after another week of downpours

Tropical storm Hanna, the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, dissipated as it hit the Caribbean coasts of Honduras and Nicaragua on Monday night, Oct. 27. The remnants of the storm brought 35mph winds, an expected rainfall of up to five inches, and the possibility of landslides, according to the US National Hurricane Center.  On Monday morning, the government declared a yellow alert for the Mining Triangle (Rosita, Siuna, and Bonanza), the North Caribbean Autonomous Region, and the Departments of Matagalpa and Jinotega. That same morning, the Nicaraguan Navy rescued 17 people from two sailboats hit by heavy winds as they headed toward the Miskito Cays. On Monday afternoon, rain was reported to be falling in Sandy Bay and Waspan while the Miskito Cays and Rosita reported strong winds. Government spokesperson Rosario Murillo called on Nicaraguans to follow all the instructions issued by the National System for the Prevention, Mitigation and Attention to Disasters (SINAPRED).

During the past three weeks, 28 people have died as a result of weather-related incidents while 71,540 people have been affected by flooding, landslides, traffic accidents, and lightning strikes throughout the country. Murillo reported that 1,045 Managua families, a total of 5,225 people, had been evacuated to shelters.  In other regions—particularly the North Caribbean Coast and the Departments of Matagalpa and Jinotega—7,055  people are in government shelters.

Meanwhile, most of the residents of the May 18th neighborhood, devastated when a perimeter wall ten meters high and 50 meters long collapsed on top of a number of houses on Oct. 16, killing nine people, were recuperating in hospitals or waiting in shelters to know their fate. Some said that they should file a suit for damages against the company that built the wall which separated them from the elegant Lomas del Valle neighborhood. The government has ordered the May 18 neighborhood evacuated but some 40 residents, who have property titles and sturdy homes some distance from a large storm sewer, hope for compensation if they are forced to leave their property behind. On Oct. 26, a team from the mayor’s office appeared in the neighborhood to measure the properties, giving hope to the residents.

According to a study released by the Central American University (UCA) and the organization Techo, nine out of ten of the spontaneous settlements in Managua are on ground that is not appropriate for housing. The study defined spontaneous settlements as zones where at least eight families had built homes without proper planning or infrastructure.  The census done for the study revealed that 92% of the capital’s 157 settlements were in situations of high risk with 47% in lowlands at risk for flooding and 44.4% built too close to open storm sewers and river beds that at times of heavy rainfall carry massive amounts of water to Lake Xolotlan (Lake Managua) and often overflow.

In related news, the government ordered the evacuation of 265 families from the slopes of the Concepcion Volcano on the Island of Ometepe after the continued heavy rainfall caused eight landslides from the sides of the 5,300 foot high mountain, one of which killed a five year old girl. Spokesperson Murillo said, “We are getting the parcels of land where they can relocate to continue their lives of traditional family agriculture.” In the north, parts of the city of Matagalpa were flooded twice when the Rio Grande de Matagalpa overflowed its banks on the night of Oct. 20-21 and again on the afternoon of Oct. 24. (Radio La Primerisima, Oct. 24, 27, 28; La Prensa, Oct. 26, 28; El Nuevo Diario, Oct. 21, 25, 27, 28)

2. Unity talks between Liberal parties break down

The Independent Liberal Party (PLI) announced on Oct. 21 that unity talks with the Constitutional Liberal Party that had been going on since August had broken down. PLI President Eduardo Montealegre made the announcement at a press conference saying that conversations would continue at the local level around the country. “We refuse to believe in corrupt leadership that still thinks about buying poll watchers and selling elections,” he said. Maria Haydee Osuna, president of the PLC, said that the PLI should have notified the PLC of its decision, adding, “I believe that those epithets that they have thrown out do not contribute to unity in the Liberal family and should not be used.” Between them, the PLC and the PLI enjoy the support of only 6.7% of those surveyed in September by the polling firm M&R Consultores. Meanwhile, Radio La Primerisima noted that while Sandinista activists and officials were setting up shelters for families made homeless by floods and landslides, PLC and PLI members had no time for such activities, occupied as they were in interparty struggle, “airing their dirty laundry on television without even issuing a communique” of sympathy with those affected by the emergency. (El Nuevo Diario, Oct. 22; Radio La Primerisima, Oct. 24)

3. Canal studies move forward; protests continue

Telemaco Talavera, member of the Grand Canal Commission, said last week that the feasibility and impact studies for the proposed shipping canal across Nicaragua are moving according to schedule. He said that the studies on the environmental and social impacts are in their final stages while the technical and financial feasibility studies are also moving forward. More than 400 Nicaraguan and Chinese workers participated in the compilation of information about the terrain, properties, and houses that are located on what would be the route of the canal. Talavera said that the next step will be the negotiations about the compensation that will be paid to the owners of the affected properties. Besides the 278 kilometer long canal, the project includes two ports, highways, an airport, and free trade zones.

Meanwhile opponents of the canal have been organizing protests in towns close to the proposed route. On Oct. 22, there was a march in Fonseca, south of Nueva Guinea, where marchers repeated the slogans of previous marches—“¿Qué quieren los productores? ¡Que se vayan los invasores! ¿Qué quieren los campesinos? ¡Que se vayan los chinos!”(What do the producers want? For the invaders to leave! What do the peasants want? For the Chinese to leave! [They rhyme in Spanish.]) On Oct. 24 there was a march on the Island of Ometepe which La Prensa reported was attended by 4,000 people. That same day in Rivas, a “patriotic fast” against the canal by a group of young protestors in a local traffic circle was broken up by a group of Sandinistas. Guillermo Tenorio, an organizer of the fast, said that when the protesters approached the bus in which the Sandinistas were riding and shouted slogans against President Daniel Ortega and the canal, the Sandinistas got off the bus and attacked them. “We hold the Sandinista Youth Organization responsible,” said Tenorio. (Radio La Primerisima, Oct. 22; La Prensa, Oct. 22, 24)

4. Twelve thousand university graduates without diplomas

In Nicaragua there are 12,000 people who have completed their university programs but have not been able to obtain their diplomas and thus a job in their fields because the universities charge too much for the final seminar and diploma. Maritza Espinales, vice-chair of the National Assembly Education Committee, said that, “The concern of the Education Committee is that they are playing with the futures of these young graduates and we hope that before the end of this year or the beginning of 2015 we can resolve these problems.” The committee has called to testify the National Council of University Presidents and representatives of the National Council of Universities. Espinales noted that many students have also complained about the quality of the education they have received, saying, “The students say they are victims of academic fraud because they sign up for a program but the contents of the courses do not correspond to the profile.”

Linda Dominguez said that she completed a program in Tourism and Hotel Management at the University of Commercial Sciences (UCC) but the private university wants US$2,000 for a final seminar and diploma and she said that she cannot get a job without the diploma but that she can’t afford the diploma because she has no job. Private universities consulted by El Nuevo Diario said that they were lowering their prices and allowing students to begin paying for their final course and diploma from the start of their studies. Kathia Sehtman, head of the University of the Valley (UNIVALLE), said that the universities should publish their costs each year so students would be informed. She added that, at her university, instead of taking a final seminar, students could write a thesis and take an exam. She indicated that the charge for the thesis and exam was less than the seminar. (El Nuevo Diario, Oct. 23, 24)

5. Decree will allow logging in pine forests for one year

On Oct. 20, President Daniel Ortega issued a decree suspending for one year the prohibition against the logging of pine trees. The government had issued temporary suspensions since 2009 that allowed logging in areas that were not protected and also allowed trees affected by the southern pine beetle to be cleared out. This decree will allow logging in the whole country including 93,000 hectares of protected areas. Nelson Hernandez of the National Forestry Institute said that Nicaragua is a pioneer in Central America with its system of forestry traceability that registers in a transparent fashion the management of the nation’s forests, including management plans, logging operations, and authorized transportation. He added that pine forests require special management, especially the 31,000 hectares affected by the pine beetle. Those areas are being allowed to regenerate at a rate of 2,000 to 6,000 trees per hectare.  In the northern departments, there are 22 lumber mills and there are a total of 10,000 permanent jobs in the forest sector, not including the furniture industry. (El Nuevo Diario, Oct. 25)

6. Tourism continues to increase

Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism (INTUR) Minister Mayra Salinas reported that by Oct. 21 more than one million tourists had entered the country. By the end of the year Salinas said INTUR expected 1.3 million tourists spending an estimated US$440 million. This represented a uptick in tourism for 2014. In 2013, Nicaragua hosted 1.23 million tourists who spent US$417 million. Alvaro Dieguez, president of the Nicaragua Hotel Association said, “The growth [of the hotel sector] has been huge and many investors want to come to Nicaragua.” The hotel industry has grown by 65% between 2009 and 2013.

Lonely Planet, the popular guide to low cost tourism, rated Nicaragua as the fourth best country to travel to in 2015, and the highest ranked in Latin America. Nicaragua was described as “an alternative to Costa Rica” which Informe Pastran described as “throwing a bucket of cold water” on Costa Rica and “an opportunity for Nicaragua tourism.” Topping Nicaragua in the rating were Singapore, Namibia, and Lithuania. (Radio La Primerisima, Oct. 21; Informe Pastran, Oct. 21)

7. Central American farmers examine Nicaragua’s agro-forestry system

Producers from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador met in Nicaragua to look at what was described as Nicaragua’s “modern agro-forestry system.” The system, which the visitors observed near Quesungual, consists of planting basic grains under scattered tree canopies on rugged plots such as slopes and mountain sides. According to studies by the Nicaraguan Institute of Agricultural Technologies, such cultivation returns increased yields for beans and corn of 20% and 16% respectively. System Specialist Rein Van der Hoek told the group that not only does the system improve food security and family income, it conserves natural resources. The test plot includes 220 trees per acre, whose leaves supply organic fertilizer for crops and pasture and help make the fields resistant to climate change. Honduran expert Luis Alvarez noted that the system also strengthens the soil and prevents mud slides and erosion as well. [Nicaragua Network Co-Coordinator Katherine Hoyt noted for the New Bulletin that this “modern” agricultural system is similar to the traditional forest-conserving Mayangna system shown to the delegation she led to the Caribbean Coast in March 2014.] (Radio La Primerisima, Oct. 23)

8. Drug enforcement seizures continue

The Nicaraguan Navy seized 275 kilos of cocaine eight miles from Corn Island in the Caribbean on Oct. 27. Three coast guard vessels took part in the operation which also resulted in the arrest of three Colombians. Pedro Jacinto Olivas, chief of the Caribbean Naval District, described it as a “tremendous blow” to the Medellin Cartel, the presumed owner of the drugs.  The drug seizure represents nearly half as much cocaine as was seized by Nicaragua in all of 2013 (618 kilos). Also last week border agents, at the Peñas Blancas border crossing in Rivas on the Pacific Coast, detained a Costa Rican with US$365,780. The money was discovered split into 19 packets hidden in the sides of seats. It is presumed to be related to narcotrafficking. The person detained is being held while the investigation is conducted. (El Nuevo Diario, Oct. 27; La Prensa, Oct. 26; Radio La Primerisima, Oct. 21)

9. International bird festival to be held in Nicaragua

Ornithologists and birders from around the world will gather in Nicaragua Nov. 7-9 for the First International Bird Festival sponsored by the Nicaraguan government and the group Cocibolca with funding from the European Union, according to festival spokesperson Maria Galeano. Among those who have confirmed their plans to attend are representatives of the Ornithological Association of Costa Rica, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, the US Forest Service, the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, and the Rainforest Alliance. Attendees will visit the Granada biological corridor which hosts 800 year-round and migratory bird species. There will be workshops on bird tourism, an eco-fair, student competitions, talks by experts, and, of course, bird watching expeditions to local sites around Granada and the islands of Lake Cocibolca (Lake Nicaragua). Each October Nicaragua is visited by 230 species of migratory birds from North America which remain until April when they return north.  (El Nuevo Diario, Oct. 21; La Prensa, Oct. 22)

10. Don Coan, long-time Nicaragua solidarity activist, dies in Sacramento

Don Coan, long-time friend of Nicaragua, died in Sacramento on Oct. 2 at the age of 88. After retiring as the bureau chief of the Sacramento County Department of Social Welfare, Coan, who had done volunteer work with the American Friends Service Committee and Solar Cookers International, began a second career by founding the Friends of San Juan de Oriente. When visiting Nicaragua as an election observer in 1990, Coan visited San Juan de Oriente and saw the talent of the local potters and the economic needs of the town. He set up a non-profit organization, Friends of San Juan de Oriente, which brought pottery made by San Juan potters to sell in Sacramento at local cultural events.  The proceeds were sent back to improve local schools and clinics, provide scholarships, and support sport teams. Coan arranged cultural exchanges between the two cities and worked with the Sacramento Sister City Organization to make San Juan de Oriente one of Sacramento’s nine official sister cities. A memorial service will be held on Nov. 29 at 2:00 pm at Sierra-Arden United Church of Christ in Sacramento. (Friends of San Juan de Oriente)