A Miskito boy in Nicaragua. Photo by David Viñuales / Comunidad Wiwinik
Conflicts over land are leading to a modern-day genocide in Nicaragua. At least 30 indigenous people have been killed as new settlers seek more land and more resources, The New York Times reports. One tribal village was burned to the ground and residents are constantly threatened by gunfire, kidnappings and other violence. “They are trying to get us out of here,” Vina Ernesto Efrain, whose nephew was among those killed, told The Times. “I haven’t been to my farm since, which means they took it from me.” In public statements, President Daniel Ortega has defended the rights of the indigenous community and has said any land sales are fraudulent. But little appears to have changed in the year since the deadly attacks began generating news coverage. The conflicts are occurring in an area along the Caribbean coast that is home to the Miskito, Mayagna and Rama peoples. At least 600 indigenous residents have fled to neighboring Honduras in hopes of avoiding violence, The Times reports. Settlers have blamed indigenous people for deaths of farmers but have declined to provide documentation, The Times reports Read More on the Story:
Nicaragua Dispute Over Indigenous Land Erupts in Wave of Killings (The New York TImes 10/17)
STRUGGLE, APPROPRIATION AND ATTACKS ON INDIGENOUS JOURNALISM BY SANDINISTAS AND THE BOLIVARIAN LEFT (Intercontinental Cry Magazine 10/14)
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communities in Nicaragua disrupted by influx of newcomers (09/30) Land conflicts lead to deaths of tribal members in Nicaragua (09/18)
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