Nicaragua: attacks by government forces kill at least 10 people, targeted bishop

Managua – At least 10 people were killed and 20 wounded in Sunday's government attacks on rebel-held rebels in southern Nicaragua, where a bishop's vehicle was shot at .
  

These are the latest episodes in the violence that has shaken the country for three months, the poorest in Central America, and have totaled at least 282 dead and some 2,000 injured.

Six civilians, including two minors, and four policemen were killed on Sunday in police and paramilitary forces operations in Masaya, a beleaguered rebel city, located some 30 kilometers south of the capital Managua, and its surroundings, according to a provisional record of the Nicaraguan Association of Human Rights (ANPDH). The localities of Niquinohomo, Catarina, Diria and Diriomo have been targeted.

Locals reported that these detachments used shovels in the early hours of the day to destroy barricades, attacking their defenders.

" They will destroy (the city of) Masaya, it is totally surrounded ", told AFP Vilma Nunez, the president of the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (Cenidh) .

" We are attacked by the National Police and armed police auxiliaries of AK-47 and machine guns in our neighborhood of Monimbo ", in the south of Masaya Department, a, as to him, said Alvaro Gomez, a resident. " We resist with homemade bombs and stones ," he added.

" The situation is serious ", " We must open a corridor (humanitarian) to evacuate the wounded ," said Alvaro Leiva, secretary of the Nicaraguan Association of Human Rights.

" Intercepted by Paramilitaries "

In addition, paramilitaries opened fire on the vehicle on which Abelardo Mata, a Nicaraguan bishop heading for Masaya, was on board. leaders of the Catholic Church, according to which he is safe and sound.

Mata, who is very critical of Daniel Ortega's government, is one of five Church dignitaries who mediate between the government and the opposition in Nicaragua.

He " was intercepted by paramilitaries who ransacked his car, smashed windows and wanted to burn ," said bishop Roberto Petray.

The Archbishop of Managua, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, also denounced an incursion of government forces into the presbytery of Catarua, and asked the government to " respect " the religious buildings and " ] stop attacks on the population ".

Paulo Abrao, secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), said on his side that he was aware of the " violent crackdown on the population of Masaya. State seems to ignore the dialogue "with the opposition.

Before the attacks, several civil society organizations had left Managua to go to Masaya in a " solidarity caravan " but turned around ten kilometers before arriving because of the presence of paramilitaries, said student leader Lesther Aleman.

For its part, the official website El 19 Digital has described as " liberated territories dams " erected by the rebels, the cities where the government forces conducted the said " cleansing operation . "

Masaya, the most rebellious city in Nicaragua, is the epicenter of the protest movement, whose students are spearheading the April 18 launch of President Daniel Ortega's government.

The latter, 72 years old and head of his country since 2007, having already directed from 1979 to 1990, is accused of having harshly repressed demonstrations and set up with his wife Rosario Murillo , who serves as vice-president, a " dictatorship " marked by corruption and nepotism. His opponents demand early elections or his departure.

On the night of Friday to Saturday, two youths were killed during a violent attack by pro-government forces against a church in Managua, where some 200 students had entrenched themselves.

" We have witnessed the lack of political will of the government to sincerely dialogue and seek concrete processes that would lead us to a true democracy ," said Catholic bishops Saturday in a statement.