Central America

Nicaragua detains four more opposition figures

AFP/Editor

Nicaraguan police said Sunday that they had detained four more opposition figures in a roundup ahead of November presidential elections in which four would-be challengers of long-serving leader Daniel Ortega have already been held.

Those arrested Sunday were top figures of the Unamos opposition party — its president Suyen Barahona Cuan, vice-president Hugo Torres, ex-guerilla Dora Maria Tellez and Ana Margarita Vigil Guardian, a police statement said.

It said the four were being investigated for “acts that undermine independence, sovereignty and self-determination, (and) inciting foreign interference in internal affairs,” among other crimes.

Unamos, formerly known as the Sandinista Renewal Movement (MRS), is made up largely of dissidents who split from Ortega’s Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) because they disagreed with his leadership.

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The charges stem from a law initiated by Ortega’s government and approved by parliament in December to defend Nicaragua’s “sovereignty,” which has been criticized by opponents and rights bodies as a means of freezing out challengers.

Julie Chung, the top US diplomat for Latin America, called the arrests “arbitrary” and denounced Ortega’s “campaign of terror” in a tweet.

“OAS (Organization of American States) members must send a clear signal this week: enough repression. The region cannot stand by and wait to see who is next,” she added.

Among the latest detainees, Tellez, 65, has in recent years been a vocal critic of Ortega, a former comrade-in-arms.

They fought together as guerillas against the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza in the 1970s, and she later served as his health minister in the 1980s, before leaving in 1995 to co-found the MRS.

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She was fiercely critical of the Ortega’s government clampdown on demonstrations that started in 2018 to demand his resignation, which according to rights groups claimed at least 328 lives.

Ortega governed Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, returned to power in 2007 and has won two successive reelections since then.

Now 75, he is accused by the opposition and NGOs of increasing authoritarianism.

Ortega is widely expected to seek a fourth term in November elections, though he has not said so.

Since the beginning of the month, his forces have arrested about a dozen opposition figures, including four would-be presidential candidates, eliciting international condemnation and fresh US sanctions against Ortega allies.

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Last month, Nicaragua’s legislature appointed a majority of governing party-aligned magistrates to the election body that will oversee the vote.

It has since disqualified two parties from participating.

Central America

Honduran Lawyer and Protected Witness in Angie Peña Case Shot Dead

Honduran lawyer and former judicial official Dereck McField was shot and killed on Monday morning, according to local media reports.

The attack took place in the street as McField was returning home after dropping off his young son at school, Honduran outlet HCH reported.

The killing sparked widespread concern after Honduras President Nasry Asfura later confirmed that McField was a protected witness in the case of Angie Peña, a Honduran university student who disappeared on January 1, 2022, while riding a jet ski on an island.

Authorities suspect Peña was trafficked to a criminal network for sexual exploitation. Her jet ski, life jacket and other belongings were found days later on a cay in Belize.

Four men — three Americans and one Honduran — have been charged in connection with the case and remain in pretrial detention as proceedings continue.

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At the start of the judicial process in 2024, authorities said they had evidence indicating that Harold Green allegedly sold Peña to William James Murdock for money. Prosecutors said the case included phone records, videos, photographs and witness testimony.

Search operations have been carried out since then in an effort to locate Peña, but she has not been found. Authorities have said they continue to hope that she is alive.

The three U.S. defendants live in Honduras and have tourism-related investments in Roatán.

McField’s killing raises new questions about the safety of witnesses involved in the high-profile case and comes as authorities continue investigating Peña’s disappearance.

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Central America

Guatemala Declares Highest Alert in Areas Affected by Fuego Volcano Eruption

Guatemalan authorities declared a red alert, the highest level of danger, on Tuesday in areas affected by the eruption of the Fuego Volcano, located about 35 kilometers from the country’s capital.

The most active volcano in Central America entered an eruptive phase on Monday morning, and its activity intensified overnight with lava emissions and large columns of gas and ash.

No fatalities have been reported, but the volcanic activity forced the evacuation of around 500 people as a precautionary measure.

The National Coordination for Disaster Reduction (Conred) declared a state of emergency in the departments of Sacatepéquez, Chimaltenango and Escuintla, the agency announced through its official X account.

The affected regions are home to approximately 1.6 million people. However, ashfall has so far impacted only about five municipalities.

Despite the increase in the alert level, authorities reopened a road leading to the city of Antigua, the country’s main tourist destination, after evaluating safety conditions in the area.

The Fuego Volcano is one of Guatemala’s most active geological formations and has a history of frequent eruptions, requiring continuous monitoring by national emergency agencies.

Central America

U.S. Defense Secretary to Close Multinational Military Exercises in Panama to Protect Canal

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will travel to Panama next week to close multinational military exercises involving more than 20 countries aimed at strengthening security measures for the Panama Canal against potential threats, a Panamanian government official announced Monday.

This will mark Hegseth’s second visit to Panama. The U.S. defense chief is expected to arrive on August 13 for the closing ceremony of the military drills, which began this week and have been conducted in the Central American country for more than two decades to support the protection of the interoceanic waterway, according to Panama’s Security Minister Frank Ábrego.

The exercises include participation from the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru and the United Kingdom, among other nations.

“The canal is a strategic infrastructure that connects markets and supports global supply chains. Its security and uninterrupted operation are of fundamental importance for Panama, the United States and the international community,” said U.S. Ambassador to Panama Kevin Marino Cabrera.

The drills include maritime training operations, exercises in jungle areas surrounding the canal, as well as virtual simulations focused on cybersecurity and strategic planning.

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The Panama Canal, one of the world’s most important trade routes, handles approximately 5% of global maritime commerce, making its security a priority for international trade and logistics networks.

Ábrego emphasized that preparedness and international coordination are essential to maintaining stability.

“The best way to preserve peace and guarantee the continuity of global trade is to be prepared to respond in a coordinated and effective manner to any threat,” the Panamanian official said.