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Nicaragua: Ortega accuses the bishops of "conspiracy" ©
AFP
/ INTI OCON
Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega on Thursday accused the bishops of wanting to participate in a "conspiracy" to dismiss him on the occasion of the commemoration of the 39th anniversary of the 1979 revolution.
" It hurt me that my bishops behaved like putschists, (…) they disqualified themselves as mediators, as witnesses (in the dialogue), because their message was the coup ", said Thursday afternoon in Managua, the 72-year-old head of state at the ceremony that brought together thousands of his supporters.
The bishops act as mediator between the government and the opposition in the political crisis which, over the past three months, has left more than 280 dead and some 2,000 wounded.
The Nicaraguan Bishops' Conference (CEN), presided over by Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, called for a reform of power and the organization of early general elections in 2019 instead of 2021, the date of the end of Mr. Ortega's term. The latter rejected these proposals.
"Churches serve as barracks"
The former guerrilla admirer of Che, who participated in this ceremony alongside his wife Rosario Murillo, also said that "many churches serve barracks to store weapons, store bombs ".
He described the demonstrations that began on April 18 as "satanic" and considered them an "armed conspiracy" funded by the United States.
At this anniversary ceremony, participants waved red and black flags, in the colors of the Sandinista Front of National Liberation (FSLN, left).
The crowd chanted "No, it does not leave, it stays."
"We have come to badert once again that the people support Daniel (Ortega) and that the FSLN is the only option that "occupies the interests of the people," said Alina Manzanares, 51, to AFP.
Usually, the commemorations of July 19 attract left-wing leaders from other countries, but this year, considering the context, the government has downgraded the scale of the festivities.
On Wednesday, paramilitaries loyal to the president seated their control over the city of Masaya, opposition stronghold violently resumed the previous day, attracting convictions of the international community
This is the latest episode of violence in this small Central American boy shaken for three months by demonstrations demanding the departure of Mr. Ortega harshly repressed.
The FSLN is the only Latin American guerrillas having won a military victory e, against the dictatorship of Somoza in 1979, before losing power the following decade after a violent conflict with counter-revolutionaries armed by the United States, then resume it again, but by the ballot box
The ruling party is now scrupulously following the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), whose pension reform project was the trigger for popular anger in April.
"This government has slaughtered"
] Opposition figures urged Nicaraguans to stay home on Thursday.
On this holiday, the streets of Managua seemed calm and no incident was reported at midday.
"Que are we going to celebrate today? Nothing. We are poor, poor, everything is expensive, there is no one in the street. What happened across the country is horrible, "AFP Petrona Amador, a 82-year-old retiree, told AFP.
" Before, we were celebrating with joy, but this government has mbadacred, murdered and stopped a lot of people, "said Gerardo, taxi driver and former military.
The business community, traditional allies of the president, asked Thursday the departure of Daniel Ortea." Nicaragua will not be a viable country for peace and development as long as the current regime remains in place, "said the Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial and Financial Associations (CACIF), an influential organization of Nicaraguan business leaders.
At the diplomatic level, On Thursday, Panama declared, through interim Foreign Minister Luis Miguel Hincapie, ready to participate in any process of dialogue that could resolve the serious crisis in Nicaragua.
Costa Rica, a border country of Nicaragua, has opened two places to accommodate the growing number of migrants fleeing Nicaragua. According to Foreign Minister Epsy Campbell, every day, "between 100 and 150 people arrive for the first time in Costa Rica"
20/07/2018 04:09:32 –
Managua (AFP) –
© 2018 AFP
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