Live
Audio Only
FSLN legislator Carlos Emilio Lopez says the commissions are, "healing the pains, traumas, resentments," from last year's opposition protests.
Nicaragua's government announces that it has created over 4,800 peace commissions throughout the country that allows the population to dialogue to reach peace.
RELATED:
The government of Nicaragua reported Thursday that 4,802 Reconciliation, Justice and Peace Commissions have begun throughout the Central American nation that are working to promote discussions toward peace among all sectors of the population.
During the July 11 presentation, FSLN legislator Carlos Emilio Lopez said these commissions demonstrate unity as a necessary element to consolidate the economic and social growth of the country.
The meetings amongst citizens are held at the municipal, departmental and national levels, which allows the participation and inclusion of all Nicaraguans.
Participants "continue to advance and grow these spaces of fraternal coexistence where the common denominator is that we must work for peace," said Lopez in the capital of Managua.
The lawmaker also said the commissions are a space for people affected by the acts of violence that occurred last year to overcome the damage caused by extremist groups, and have developed rapidly over the past several months.
"Step by step they are healing the pains, traumas, resentments, psychosomatic effects and internal wounds. ... We continue to advance and grow in these spaces of coexistence," said the Sandanista.
When the creation of the commissions were announced earlier this year, Vice President Rosario Murillo said of the participatory space: “Nicaraguan families want security, work, prosperity, peace and we are winning it, it is the truth, because the majority of Nicaraguans want to live in peace.”
Protests, with the links to the U.S. government, broke out in April 2018 against Nicaragua’s leftist government after President Daniel Ortega proposed a social security reform that sought to overcome the system’s financial crisis by increasing contributions by both employees and employers to avoid raising the nation's retirement age.
The president quickly withdrew the reform and issued calls for dialogue, but demonstration were nearly immediately coopted by right-wing insurgents that tried to overthrow the Sandanista government.
According to the national Commission, 270 people died and over 2,100 were injured during the three months of protests. In addition, a number of attacks were carried out against police stations, government buildings and ruling party institutions resulting in the deaths of 22 police officers and several local Sandinista activists.
In a previous statement, the Nicaragua Commission said it "rejects the interventionism" and "antagonistic" nature of the U.S. in the nation's peace process.
Newsletter
