Nicaragua: Anti-government protests turn violent again
May 29, 2018
Clashes between pro- and anti-government groups left one person dead on Monday in the latest bout of violence to afflict Nicaragua in recent weeks.
In the capital Managua, students at the National University of Engineering took control of the campus to demand more democracy and the resignation of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.
Read more: UN calls for independent investigation in Nicaragua after more student deaths
Government supporters tried to end the occupation, but fought with opposition protesters who had arrived to support the students.
At least one student was shot and killed after gunmen stormed the university grounds, Amnesty International said.
"The Hospital Bautista in Managua confirmed to me that they have received 41 young students who were injured, most of them by gunfire, one has died," tweeted Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at the human rights watchdog
The nearby offices of Radio Ya, a pro-government broadcaster, caught fire during the confrontation.
Separately, the public prosecutors' offices in the western city of Masaya were also set on fire during anti-government demonstrations on Monday.
Read more: Nicaragua under pressure, as violence continues
No end in sight
At least 76 people have died and hundreds have been injured since protests against Ortega's planned cuts to Nicaragua's welfare system began in mid-April.
The harsh reaction by the government, which has since stepped back from the austerity plans, prompted many demonstrators to start rallying against the autocratic governing style of Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo.
Ortega, a 72-year-old former Sandinista guerrilla fighter, was elected president 11 years ago. He first ruled the country between 1979 and 1990.
amp/rt (AP, dpa)