More than 100,000 people have fled persecution in Nicaragua the UN’s refugee agency warned. Even after a violent crackdown against nationwide anti-government protests in April 2018 had subsided, Nicaraguan students, human rights defenders, journalists and farmers have continued to seek asylum abroad at the rate of 4,000 a month. Costa Rica, Nicaragua’s neighbour, has received the majority of refugees and asylum-seekers, taking in two-thirds, or 77,000 people. A further 8,000 have fled to Panama and 9,000 have gone to Europe while Mexico is sheltering 3,600 Nicaraguans. In all, 103,600 are seeking refuge globally.
“With no resolution to the internal crisis in sight, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, expects these numbers to grow,” said Shabia Mantoo, UNHCR spokesperson.
Brutal repression by the national police and armed pro-government groups in 2018, left 300 people dead, 2,000 injured and hundreds of people arbitrarily detained and prosecuted.
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