Central America
Protesting indigenous people achieve investment in their comarca in Panama
August 9|
Indigenous groups unblocked early Tuesday morning points of the Inter-American highway in Panama, after negotiations with a high-level government commission, which agreed to an investment of up to $ 150 million in infrastructure projects in their territories.
The Minister of Public Works, Rafael Sabonge, confirmed that “after 15 hours of conversations with the pro-road groups (…) we have managed to reach an agreement to significantly improve the quality of the roads in the Ngäbe Buglé region and, likewise, improve the quality of life of the residents (…) and as a consequence of this, lift the closure of the road”.
In the agreement it was established to improve the quality of the road network of the region and that the first meeting to follow up on these agreements was to be held this Tuesday.
“We hope that this commitment for the construction of infrastructure in the “most remote areas” of the country will be fulfilled to the letter”, “we trust in God, more than anything else, and again we put our faith in the Government to keep its word in these terms of time”, declared the spokesman of the protesters, Joel Franceschi.
The Panamanian authorities “have been signing agreements for a long time and they have not complied with them and the population has had to resort to this pressure measure so that the Government pays attention”, declared on Monday another spokesman of the demonstrators in San Juan Oriente, Aquilino Montezuma.
Press media reported that on Tuesday morning there were no longer blockades in one of the protest points set up by the indigenous groups, San Juan Oriente, belonging to the western province of Chiriqui, bordering Costa Rica.
The blockades began at noon on Monday and generated long lines of vehicles on the Interamerican highway, which crosses all of Panama and connects the country with Central America; it is considered a neuralgic route for the transportation of people and merchandise arriving through the Panama Canal and the national ports system.
The demonstration raised fears of food shortages in the Central American country, as occurred a little more than a year ago due to indigenous blockades in the same area of Chiriqui, demanding the high cost of living.
Central America
Nicaragua’s Ortega and Murillo Mourn Pope Francis, Acknowledge ‘Difficult’ Relationship
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo, who also serve as co-leaders of the country, expressed their condolences on Monday following the death of Pope Francis, acknowledging that their relationship with the late pontiff had been “difficult” and “troubled.” Nicaragua officially suspended diplomatic ties with the Vatican during his papacy.
“Our relationship, as Nicaraguans who are believers, devoted and faithful to the doctrine of Christ Jesus, was difficult and troubled—unfortunately shaped by adverse and painful circumstances that were not always understood,” Ortega and Murillo wrote in a message of condolence.
“Despite the complexity and hardships, despite the manipulation we all know occurred, despite everything, we kept our hope alive through Christian faith,” they continued. “We understood the distance, and above all, the complicated and strained communication that prevented better relations. We also recognized the confusion caused by strident voices that disrupted any attempt at genuine interaction.”
Pope Francis had previously compared the Ortega regime to communist dictatorships and even to Hitler, a remark that further strained relations between Managua and the Holy See.
Central America
Cardinal Rodríguez to Attend Funeral of Pope Francis: “He Was Very Dear to Me”
Honduran Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez announced on Monday that he will attend the funeral services of Pope Francis, who passed away at the age of 88 at his residence in Casa Santa Marta due to a stroke.
“We will be there throughout the novena and then, God willing, at the burial,” Rodríguez said in a phone interview with HRN Radio in Tegucigalpa, apparently calling from Spain.
He added that the last time he saw Pope Francis was in October 2024, during and at the end of that year’s synod, and that they remained in contact through email. “Sometimes, the Pope would even call me,” said Rodríguez, who was born on December 29, 1942, and was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II on February 21, 2001.
Rodríguez expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Pope Francis, saying: “He was a very dear person to me.”
However, he also shared a message of hope, pointing out that the Holy Father passed away during Easter: “This is a sign. He gave his life completely like the Lord Jesus, and though he died, we believe in faith that he has risen, now with Christ in eternal life.”
Rodríguez, who for ten years coordinated the Vatican’s Council of Cardinals, was one of the eight cardinals selected by Pope Francis to help govern the Catholic Church and reform the Roman Curia.
In January 2023, upon turning 80, Rodríguez stepped down as Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, and Pope Francis appointed Spanish priest José Vicente Nácher Tatay as his successor.
Central America
Senator Van Hollen Meets with Deported MS-13 Member in El Salvador; Trump and Bukele React
U.S. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, representing the state of Maryland, held a meeting in El Salvador with deported MS-13 gang member Kilmar Ábrego García, a member of the criminal group classified by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization.
“Kilmar Ábrego García, miraculously resurrected from the ‘extermination camps’ and ‘torture chambers,’ now sipping margaritas with Senator Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!” wrote President Nayib Bukeleon X (formerly Twitter), sharing photos of Van Hollen, Ábrego García, and a lawyer sitting together at a Salvadoran hotel.
The deported gang member is seen wearing a plaid shirt and a flat-brimmed cap, seated at a table with glasses and coffee cups. The senator also shared images of the meeting on his own social media accounts.
Bukele reaffirmed that Ábrego will remain in El Salvador and will not be returned to the United States.
“Now that his health has been confirmed, he has earned the honor of remaining under the custody of El Salvador,” Bukele added.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the senator’s meeting with Ábrego on Truth Social, calling Van Hollen “a fool” for advocating for Ábrego’s return to the U.S.
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