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Nicaraguan troops launch attack in south after Church siege leaves two dead in bloody uprising

Police block the entrance of Divine Mercy Catholic Church in Managua as protests continue - REUTERS
Police block the entrance of Divine Mercy Catholic Church in Managua as protests continue - REUTERS

Nicaraguan government forces launched intense raids backed by heavy equipment on Sunday in three rebellious towns, south of the capital, leaving scores of people injured after another bloody week of uprisings.

Residents and rights groups said troops used mechanical shovels in the early hours of the day to clear barricades in three towns near Masaya, attacking their defenders in the latest violence convulsing the Central American country.

Monimbo, in southern Masaya department, has been the epicenter of resistance against the government of President Daniel Ortega since a wave of student-led protests began April 18 over a since-aborted pension reform plan.

Since then, violence has claimed at least 272 lives.

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

Students who had taken refuge at the Jesus of Divine Mercy church amid a barrage of armed attacks, arrive on a bus to the Metropolitan cathedral, in Managua on Saturday - Credit: Cristobal Venegas/AP
Students who had taken refuge at the Jesus of Divine Mercy church amid a barrage of armed attacks, arrive on a bus to the Metropolitan cathedral, in Managua on Saturday Credit: Cristobal Venegas/AP

The latest violence came a day after some 200 students, entrenched for 20 hours in a parish church in Managua besieged by pro-government troops, were finally freed following the intercession of Catholic bishops.

That operation left two students dead and more than a dozen injured, church officials said.

The students had sought refuge in a local church after police forced them out of the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, which had been occupied during two months of protests against the government of Mr Ortega.

The attack took place on the third day of nationwide demonstrations against Mr Ortega, a former revolutionary hero now accused of authoritarianism.

Political tensions have soared since protests against a now-aborted pension reform began on April 18 and spiraled into general opposition to Mr Ortega and his government.

"It was a really hard night. They discharged their entire heavy arsenal against stones and mortars," said a sobbing young man who declined to give his name out of fear on exiting the church seige. "They wanted to kill us all."

Father Raul Zamora said the students came under fire at the Jesus of Divine Mercy church for more than 12 hours. He said a journalist from The Washington Post and a journalist from the BBC exited the church safely earlier Saturday, along with some wounded students who needed urgent hospital care.

The police onslaught was televised by local media outlets and covered by three local journalists who reported via Facebook Live. Students fearing for their lives sent farewell messages to friends and family. "I did it for the country and I don't regret it," a crying girl said in a video that went viral. "Forgive me mama, I love you."

The police have not issued official statements.

Two students were killed, Roman Catholic cardinal Leopoldo Brenes said.

The events brought widespread condemnation and calls for an end to the violence, including from the new socialist government in Spain, the secretary-general of the Organization of American States, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and officials of the US, Brazil and Chile.

Madrid's foreign ministry called for an inquiry into all the deaths since April 18.