Widespread protests against Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's government, which began on April 18, have devolved into deadly violence several times. A march organized yesterday, on Nicaragua’s Mother’s Day, took place to commemorate those mothers who had lost their children during the ongoing demonstrations. Reuters reports that “witnesses said pro-government armed groups opened fire on the marchers,” and that 11 people were killed across the country—making it the bloodiest day in more than a month of protest, which has now seen more than 80 deaths. What began in April as a reaction to Ortega’s attempts to change the national social-security system has now become a broad, student-led call for Ortega and his wife to step down and for new elections to be held. Neither side appears to be backing down. Anti-government protesters are hoping to build momentum, and government crackdowns on demonstrations are increasing, as Nicaraguans continue to take to the streets to decide their future.
A Month of Anti-Government Protest in Nicaragua
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Demonstrators protesting government repression wave Nicaraguan flags in Managua, Nicaragua, on May 9, 2018. Nicaraguans took to the the streets in one of the largest protest marches so far, demonstrating against the government of President Daniel Ortega. #
Alfredo Zuniga / AP -
Boys pose with homemade mortars during a protest by anti-government demonstrators, demanding the departure of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, in Managua, on May 26, 2018. #
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Nuns pray prior to a second day of national dialogue in Managua on May 18, 2018. The government, the church, and other civil actors were seeking a resolution to the country's ongoing political crisis. #
Alfredo Zuniga / AP -
President Daniel Ortega speaks at the opening of a national dialogue in Managua on May 16, 2018. Ortega sat down to formally talk with opposition and civic groups for the first time since he returned to power in 2007. #
Alfredo Zuniga / AP -
Student representative Lesther Aleman interrupts President Ortega, shouting that he must halt the repression, during the opening of the national dialogue. "Order it now, in this moment. The repression of the police, of the paramilitary forces, of your party's gangs that have been massacring and killing.... In less than a month you've ruined the country; Somoza took years," Aleman said, alluding to dictator Anastasio Somoza, whose government was toppled by the Sandinista rebels in 1979. #
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Anti-government demonstrators try to bring down a "Tree of Life" metal sculpture erected across Managua as part of a city beautification plan by Vice President and First Lady Rosario Murillo, during a protest demanding the ouster of President Ortega and Murillo on May 26, 2018. #
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Demonstrators set up a barricade while resuming protests after peace talks between the government and opposition collapsed, in Leon, some 100 kilometers from Managua on May 24, 2018. #
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A supporter of President Ortega takes part in a pro-FSLN (Sandinista National Liberation Front) government rally on Nicaragua's national Mothers Day at the Rotonda Hugo Chavez in Managua on May 30, 2018. #
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A demonstrator carries a Nicaraguan flag during a march against President Ortega in Managua on May 30, 2018. The mural in the background reads in Spanish, "A country without democracy, my flag is on its head!" #
Alfredo Zuniga / AP -
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A masked demonstrator hands the blood-stained shoe of a wounded comrade to a friend as the other gets medical attention during a march against President Ortega in Managua on May, 30, 2018. #
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The body of a demonstrator, killed after being shot in the head, is carried by paramedics after clashes erupted during a march against President Ortega in Managua on May 30, 2018. #
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An anti-government demonstrator wearing a clown mask stands in front of burning Sandinista radio station during clashes with riot police in Managua, Nicaragua, on May 30, 2018. #
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