A “brutal dictatorship”: US urges allies to halt trade with Nicaragua

The United States has urged its allies to stop trading with Nicaragua after a constitutional reform effectively shut opponents out of elections and tightened President Daniel Ortega’s hold on power.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned what he called a “brutal dictatorship” and said governments that violate their citizens’ rights should not receive the same economic and political benefits as governments committed to peace and security. He called on the international community to increase pressure on Managua.

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Dictatorships that trample on the rights of their citizens should not enjoy the same economic or political benefits as governments committed to defending peace and security.

The reform passed unanimously in Nicaragua’s National Assembly on Tuesday. Its practical impact is largely symbolic in a country where opposition figures have been imprisoned or forced into exile, and where only small parties aligned with the government remain alongside Ortega’s Sandinista National Liberation Front.

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Brutal dictatorship

Ortega has said the measure protects Nicaragua from interference by Washington, which he accuses of trying to remove him through a protest movement in 2018. The crackdown on those demonstrations left about 350 people dead, according to the United Nations.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the anniversary of Nicaragua’s army, Ortega described the United States as “the enemy” of countries like Nicaragua. “Simply because it is a global military power, it feels entitled to attack,” he said. He added: “To those who constantly threaten us, here you have a people and an army that will never be bought and will never surrender.”

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The enemy

Rubio said the United States and its allies in the Organization of American States had already called on the body to take action against Nicaragua. “The war waged by Murillo and Ortega against democracy threatens the stability and prosperity” of the continent, he said. Washington, he added, remained committed to identifying and implementing measures to address human rights violations attributed to Rosario Murillo and Ortega, including through the OAS. Despite pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration, the United States remains Nicaragua’s main trading partner, and Nicaragua also benefits from loans.

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Simply because it is a global military power, it feels entitled to attack.