Key Summary:
- Nicaraguan government shuts down Scouts Association and seven other NGOs, citing financial irregularities and lack of transparency.
- Closure of organizations viewed as part of broader suppression of religious, charity, and civic groups.
- US announces new sanctions targeting over 100 municipal officials linked to ruling party, FSLN, for suppressing civil society
- Concerns raised over ulterior motives behind closures, given Scouts Association’s apolitical nature and history since 1979.
- Ortega’s authoritarian regime prompts mass migration, economic dependence on remittances, and political instability in Nicaragua.
The Nicaraguan government has shut down the Scouts Association as well as seven other non government organizations (NGOs). Reported Friday, this is seen as the latest in the persistent suppression of various religious, charity, and civic groups. President Daniel Oretega and his Vice President and wife Rosario Murillo are said to have violated the freedoms and rights provided by the Nicaraguan Constitution.
According to the Interior Minister, who is in charge of overseeing the operations of NGOs in Nicaragua, the Scouts Association has failed to report their financial statements as well as maintaining a board of directors that is “expired.” This label of expiration is a result of the government not having renewed the board since September 2021.
The University of Health Sciences and Renewable Engineers was another organization that was banned due to the government claiming they allegedly opened their offices without proper authorization. The rest of the newly prohibited NGOs consisted of Catholic, Evangelical, and Jesuit groups and a rotary club. The vast majority of the organizations were closed for issues regarding financial statements as they are said to have created a “lack of transparency” that questioned whether or not the groups were following the objectives and purposes within their projects and policies. It’s also important to note that all of the assets of the eight organizations, even though four of them are religiously affiliated, will be confiscated by the Nicaraguan government.
As a result of these closures, the U.S. State Department declared that there will be a new round of sanctions. These sanctions will be targeted to specifically impact over one hundred municipal officials, all of which are controlled or a part of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). This is the current ruling party of Nicaragua in which Ortega and Murillo currently lead. In addition to the targeted sanctions, the officials will also be banned from obtaining any visa permitting them entry into the United States. US officials stated that these sanctions and entry limitations are a result of their rule within the regime of Oretega-Murillo, and more specifically, for suppressing the voices of the Nicaraguan people and unjustly punishing and detaining those fighting for a “free civil society.”
While the Nicaraguan government said financial statements were the reason behind the closure, many wonder about ulterior motives. After all, the Scouts Association of Nicaragua has been functioning since 1979, the year of the Sandinista Revolution which is the event that gave rise to the FSLN. Furthermore, the organization itself is not inherently political or religious. With the slogan of the organization being “building a better world,” the Scouts are a youth organization that endorses a holistic education that includes interaction with the natural environment. However, this is also not the first time the government, while led by Ortega, has shut down NGOs with little reasoning.
In 2018, many protests broke out as a result of an increase in social security taxes and decrease in benefits. The government fought back against the protestors, resulting in the death of 322 people and the imprisonment of over 500. Following these large-scale demonstrations, Ortega and the government started banning various NGOs. Since 2018, approximately 3,500 NGOs have been forcibly closed.
One might ask why the people haven’t elected another president since then? Unfortunately, it is not that simple. During the 2021 general elections, many hoped to replace Ortega as the leader of the country. However, Ortega arrested or disqualified many opposing candidates, instituted legislation that enabled him to serve more than the allowed number of terms, and packed the judicial system and economic alliances with friends and corrupt business leaders. Although Ortega was democratically voted in during the Sandinista Revolution in 1984, after losing the 1996 and 2001 elections, he struck a deal with the previous president in 2006 to enable him to take the presidency by lowering the threshold required for a first-round presidential win. Thus, the Nicaraguan government is not a presidential republic system, but more closely resembles an authoritarian government.
The consequence of Ortega and the Nicaraguan government has been a mass migration from the nation. Hundreds of thousands of people have left the country as a result of increased restriction of freedoms, most often immigrating to Costa Rica and the United States. This mass migration creates additional problems for the country.
The first being an economic dependence on remittances. Remittances have become a vital part of income for many individuals or families in Nicaragua as well as the general economy, reaching an almost record breaking high for the country in December of 2023 with around 420 millions US dollars being sent. This reliance on remittances makes the economic state of the country even more vulnerable as they are heavily impacted by any change in the economic conditions of the origin country.
Mass migration in Nicaragua also creates labor shortages, especially in competitive industries, and even more so for skilled workers who are usually able to migrate more easily. Furthermore, the mass migration increases political instability within Nicaragua as it drives socioeconomic inequalities and creates more anti-government sentiment.
Currently, it seems all possible solutions seem to tie to Ortega and changes within the Nicaraguan government as there is little hope for Nicaragua to accept direct foreign involvement after the actions of the US in the 20th century. Additionally, with little success in government aid programs targeted towards the people and economic growth as well as an increase in human rights violations, people will still be more inclined to leave. As the banning of the Scouts Association exemplifies another overstep of Ortega’s rule, NGF will continue to follow the developments within the country and monitor further consequences that may occur.
Author: Ella Powers
