The Government of Colombia ordered its ambassador in Managua, Alfredo Rangel Suarezreturn to the country after the Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, assured on Monday that the Andean nation is a “narco-state” where social leaders are assassinated daily.
“Given the statements made by Daniel Ortega (…) our Government ordered yesterday (Tuesday) Ambassador Alfredo Rangel to present a note of protest to the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry, forcefully rejecting this new offense against the honor of our Nation, and requested return to the country immediately, ”the Ministry of Foreign Affairs detailed in a statement on Wednesday.
Nicaragua has been going through a political and social crisis since April 2018, which has been accentuated after the controversial general elections on November 7, in which Ortega was re-elected for a fifth term, which Colombia did not recognize, considering it an “announced fraud”.
Ortega’s speech
During the commemoration of the 88th anniversary of the death of Augusto César Sandino, the Nicaraguan president pointed out that “the way in which Colombian brothers are assassinated is something truly impressive,” referring to crimes against social leaders.
He also affirmed that “Colombia is a narco-state” and also criticized the United States, where, he pointed out, “drugs enter through ports, enter through aviation, and also through border crossings.”
In this sense, the Colombian Foreign Ministry responded that its country “is not only a victim of drug trafficking that grows incessantly due to the international demand for drugs, but has also suffered from the various threats to national security.”
“Money of dictatorships”
These threats, the statement added, are “mainly fueled by money from this illicit activity, which unfortunately is supported by the dictatorships that have been enthroned in our region.”
For this reason, the Colombian Government rejects “these statements that unsuccessfully seek to distract the attention of the international community from the critical human rights situation and the multiple violations suffered by Nicaraguan citizens, political parties and opponents of the Ortega regime, from the which the whole world is witness.”
“The international community is well aware that those who have openly opposed the regime over the last year have ended up in jail for the sole fact of wanting to present themselves as a legitimate and democratic option,” added the Foreign Ministry.
This is not the first time that Ortega has described Colombia as a “narco-state”, as he had already done so on December 17 when he criticized his counterpart Iván Duque for questioning his government in international human rights forums. .
“Countries like Colombia, where they have rulers who dare to talk about human rights, talk about human rights, and want to teach us Nicaraguans about human rights,” he said then.
