Violence erupts in Managua as anti-government protests intensify

Violence erupted in the streets of the Nicaraguan capital, Managua, on Wednesday with eyewitnesses saying dozens were injured and an untold number killed.

Before Wednesday’s violence, Amnesty International had said on Tuesday that at least 81 people had been killed and 868 wounded since April 18.

Wednesday also saw a massive march led by the Mothers of April Movement, a group of mostly mothers who said they had come out to demand justice for their children who were killed in violent crackdowns on demonstrators.

More than a month after changes to the Central American country’s social security system triggered student-led protests, demonstrations have morphed into a daily challenge to the rule of President Daniel Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla.

Ortega has resisted protesters’ demands that he resign over the killings. His government rejected a suggestion by the Organization of American States that it call early elections.

(Source: Reuters)