The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has expressed “deep concern” over ongoing violence in Nicaragua including attacks against Catholic Church mediators.
In a statement this week, a spokesperson for Mr Guterres said the secretary-general recognised “the important mediation role of the Nicaraguan Catholic Bishops Conference” and urged all parties to “respect the role of the mediators, to refrain from the use of violence, and to fully commit to participating in the National Dialogue in order to de-escalate violence and find a peaceful solution to the current crisis”.
Vatican News reported that three key Catholic Church officials – Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, Archbishop of Managua, Archbishop Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Central American nation, and the Auxiliary Bishop of Managua, Jose Silvio Baez – were “roughed up” by pro-government paramilitaries on Monday as they, along with priests and journalists, arrived outside a church in Diriamba, south of the Nicaraguan capital, to assist anti-government protesters who were trapped inside the besieged church.
The attack came after 38 people, including four police officers, were killed last Saturday, according to published figures from Nicaraguan Centre for Human Rights.
Tensions have been escalating in the Central American nation since mid-April when the government announced cuts to social security payments. While the Government subsequently backed down from the cuts, protests have continued to spread with calls for President Daniel Ortega to step down. Mr Ortega announced on Saturday that he would not act on a recommendation from the country’s Catholic bishops to bring forward elections currently scheduled for 2021.
More than 250 people have reportedly been killed in the violence.
