Nicaragua: Health Ministry Workers Attacked By Armed Protesters

Armed anti-government groups in Nicaragua on Friday attacked a Health Ministry official in Masaya on his way to supervise in a hospital, later burning down the German Pomares complex which housed several government ministries.

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"We were intercepted by 20 vandals near Pochotillo, with mortars," Health Ministry worker Dr. Silvio Navarro said. "We couldn't pass: they surrounded us, they pulled us out, threatened to kill us and immediately proceeded to burn the vehicle.

"Then we had to go back to my house and, in my house, the vandals chased me along with the driver and another worker."

Two of the vehicles destroyed by armed gangs on Friday were used by healthcare workers to eliminate mosquitoes to fight vector-born diseases such as dengue and malaria, Navarro said.

The executive secretary of the Nicaraguan Institute of Municipal Promotion (Inifom), Guiomar Irias, thanked community members who intervened to help the health workers "so that something much worse didn't happen."

"We are seeing clearly that these are acts of crime; acts of people who are affecting the peace, the life and the physical integrity of people and families in Masaya," Irias said.

Health Minister Sonia Castro said health vehicles and workers have been attacked, disrupting Nicaragua's public health system. Protesters have so far damaged three healthcare facilities, burned two health worker vehicles, stolen two other vehicles, and affected the work of at least seven mobile health clinics and 34 ambulances.

"The supply of healthcare around the country, medications, vaccines and materials for medical care and treatment of fractures has been delayed due to the difficulty of transport," Castro said.

Protesters also burned down the German Pomares complex, which was used to house several public offices including the Ministry of Family Economy, Ministry of Forestry, and Ministry of Agrofisheries among others.

Protests have been ongoing since April. Originally led by students against changes to social security, they have since shifted to calling for the removal of President Daniel Ortega's Sandinista government, and have been dominated by violent, armed groups blockading highways and attacking public buildings.