Forces loyal to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega staged an organized attack on an opposition stronghold on Tuesday, as international calls mounted for an end to months of deadly violence in the Central American country.
The offensive on the city of Masaya came on the heels of a bloody siege of student protesters holed up in a church in the capital Managua on the weekend, suggesting Ortega was intensifying the use of lethal force to quell dissent. His government says it is carrying out a “liberation” of towns and cities where protesters have been active.
Police and masked paramilitary units toting assault rifles on Tuesday sealed off all roads leading to Masaya’s flashpoint neighborhood of Monimbo, from which gunfire could be heard. Videos posted on social media showed rebels inside Monimbo firing back, some with homemade mortars.
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Source: Seychelles News Agency
