#CrisisEnNicaragua: government repression is creating a migratory wave

After Venezuela, the situation in Nicaragua is producing a
second migratory crisis in Latin America due to political and economic factors
in the country.

More than 155 days of protests against the regime of Daniel
Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo demanding their exit from power have
unleashed an unprecedented crisis: the migration of thousands of Nicaraguans as
a consequence of an escalation in violence, indiscriminate repression and
economic contraction.

After the heavy-handed reaction of the government, the protests have come to an end, but the government has unleashed a harsh wave of repression over its leaders, who were previously identified by secret police during the demonstrations.

According to the Nicaraguan Association for Human Rights,
488 deaths were produced in the first 100 days of the crisis although official
figures are much lower.

Nicaraguans who are leaving in their thousands
consolidate a long history of migration: 20% of the Nicaraguan population
already live abroad. 

This diaspora is nothing new and it has a cemented history
within the region, however over the past few months a new wave of migration has
emerged, with around 200 asylum requests daily in Costa Rica according to
UNHCR. Since the crisis began more than 23,000 asylum requests have been made
in Costa Rica.

The majority of
migrants are young people 

Repression of protests in Nicaragua has undoubtedly affected
young people the most, among these are many students and activists who led the
mobilisations, and have consequently become targets of paramilitary groups that
have re-emerged due to protests and shady government operations.

The stories of shootings and murders by hooded gang members
on motorbikes that have spread across social media are harrowing, and it’s
becoming increasingly clear that the objective of these killings is to silence
and intimidate the protagonists of these protests against the regime. 

After Costa Rica, Panamá is the next destination that has taken in large quantities of young migrants between the ages of 16 and 25 who are searching for better opportunities and a more stable political situation.

After Costa Rica, Panamá is the next destination that has taken
in large quantities of young migrants between the ages of 16 and 25 who are
searching for better opportunities and a more stable political situation.

The
intention of the regime to silence and expel these young people who dare to
raise their voice against it is clear, but international assistance is slow and
it has taken a step back while the government attempts to reach a consensus
with its opponents.

The warnings of the International Organization for Migration
(IOM) and UNHCR however leave to doubt uncontested: we are facing yet another
potentially devastating migratory crisis. 

Xenophobia takes hold

One of the main consequences of these migratory waves is the
growing levels of xenophobia particularly concentrated in the border regions.
In San José, Costa Rica, groups associated with right-wing ideologies and
football teams that gathered to protest the arrival of Nicaraguans embody the
problem of how mass migration waves generate feelings of exclusion and
xenophobia in receiving countries.

We are dealing with xenophobia on a regional level that has
produced a spill-over effect in countries such as Brazil and Colombia where groups
aggressively reject Venezuelan migration, or Ecuador and Peru where governments
have tried to close off their borders to curb the migratory wave.

Feelings of xenophobia can be easily manipulated by aggressive groups with a political agenda, who have a significant capacity to increase tensions and provoke the exclusion of migrants.

This phenomenon fuelled by hatred that could become
extremely dangerous if not managed properly, and it should be monitored so that
violence does not escalate.

Fake news threads have already appeared reporting
that Nicaraguans receive special benefits in the country or that they have been
reportedly seen burning Costa Rican flags, adding fuel to the fire.

Feelings of xenophobia can be easily manipulated by aggressive
groups with a political agenda, who have a significant capacity to increase
tensions and provoke the exclusion of migrants.

Xenophobia provides
justification for those who seek to repress and adopt a hard-handed approach towards
exterior relations, something that has been long desired by the authoritarian
forces of the region.