Nicaragua has spent three months on the brink. July 19 marks the 39th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution, when masses gathered to celebrate the triumphant arrival of the rebels in Managua, the capital city. Here to mark that historic anniversary this year is a rebellion against the leader of the Sandinista revolution itself: now-president Daniel Ortega. Nicaragua commemmorates its revolution with a role reversal: the one who once fought against a repressive government is now the oppressor.
El Faro has traveled to and from Nicaragua since the first days of the protests, including to the National Autonomous University (UNAN) in Managua. Conditions rapidly worsened and now seem stagnant. On Apr. 16, 2018, the governing board of the Nicaraguan Social Security Institute approved a reform to the social security system. After its ratification the next day by President Ortega, protests erupted. Students took control of the main public universities. The government responded with repression and, in four days, 70 people died. Ortega's nullification of the social security reform on Apr. 23, did not stop Nicaraguans from protesting. The discontent was no longer just directed at the INSS reform, but against the regime of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo.
Nicaraguans took to the streets en masse to demand their resignation. By mid-May, a negotiating roundtable with the government had been installed, moderated by the Catholic Church and attended by the Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy (ACJD in Spanish), a coalition of students, campesinos, civil society members, and business leaders. The exit of the Ortega-Murillo government through early elections was an idea discussed at the roundtable, though the president has publicly stated that he will not accept that option. 'The rules here are set by the Constitution of the Republic through the people. The rules can't be changed in the span of a day simply because it dawned on a group of coup plotters,' said Ortega on Saturday, July 7. He would continue his campaign to end the protests by force.
What was at first a student rebellion in Managua expanded to the whole country. Tranques, or informal barricades constructed by protestors, became a part of Nicaragua's urban and rural landscape. The municipality of La Trinidad rose up against the regime. Its inhabitants took the town and declared it a liberated territory. Even the Police abandoned the place. Masaya and Monimbó, bastions of the Sandinista revolution, turned against Ortega. Many of those who oppose the government consider themselves Sandinistas, but not Orteguistas. In three months of protests, around 350 people have died.
Two students armed with improvised shotguns guard UNAN's northwest entry point. June 29, 2018.
This young man, nicknamed 'Venezuela,' where he was born, carries a bullet from a Kalashnikov automatic rifle (AK-47) — the same weapon police forces used to attack the students. June 27, 2018.
'Tío' and 'Halcón 03' receive first-aid training inside the university. Many students use pseudonyms to avoid being identified by Nicaraguan authorities. June 30, 2018.
Two armed students, one carrying a 9 millimeter pistol and the other an improvised mortar, run to the university's northwest entry point after police attack one of the barricades. One of the barricade's guards, Isaías Emilio Puerto, 20, died during the attack. June 30, 2018.
A rebel medical brigade tends to a man with a bullet wound on university grounds. The man was wounded during a march that was attacked by unknown assailants. Another man, 23, who had sold handkerchiefs and flags at the march, died of a bullet wound to his forehead. June 30, 2018.
The Rigoberto López Pérez Roundabout near UNAN-Managua became a battlefield between police and students long before the police offensive to clear out the campus on July 13. June 30, 2018.
Shotgun and mortar belonging to the youth pinned down in the university. June 30, 2018.
Students erect a new barricade to shield themselves from police attacks. June 25, 2018.
A young man with a makeshift shotgun stands guard at one of the entry points to UNAN. June 27, 2018.
'Machete' and 'Luna' embrace during their shift to stand guard at one of the barricades at the National University of Nicaragua. June 29, 2018.
Students blow off steam practicing boxing on university grounds. June 27, 2018.
The cook in one of the wings of the UNAN protects his identity with the mask of El Santo, the legendary Mexican wrestler, as he prepares lunch for the students. The food is donated from Nicaraguans who come drop it off at the university. June 27, 2018.
A student bathes in one of the UNAN yards. June 29, 2018.
A student known as 'Monimbó' sustained bullet wounds in both arms at the university during a police attack on Saturday, June 23, 2018.
UNAN students test out 'La Querida' ('dear' or 'beloved'), a mortar donated by Nicaraguans off campus who identified themselves as 'small business owners.' June 25, 2018.
Students armed with makeshift mortars, shotguns, and 9 millimeter pistols guard one of the UNAN entry points following a police assault on Saturday, June 30, 2018.
'La Flaca,' a member of the besieged students' shock brigade, guards an access point to the university. June 30, 2018.
A student hangs Christmas decorations in his tent on campus grounds. Many of the students stayed here since the protests began. Some have been identified by police forces and fear for their lives. June 27, 2018.
A student sleeps near her mortar in one of the childcare cabins on the UNAN campus. June 29, 2018.
*Translated by Roman Gressier
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