Central America

Nicaragua detains four more opposition figures

AFP/Editor

Nicaraguan police said Sunday that they had detained four more opposition figures in a roundup ahead of November presidential elections in which four would-be challengers of long-serving leader Daniel Ortega have already been held.

Those arrested Sunday were top figures of the Unamos opposition party — its president Suyen Barahona Cuan, vice-president Hugo Torres, ex-guerilla Dora Maria Tellez and Ana Margarita Vigil Guardian, a police statement said.

It said the four were being investigated for “acts that undermine independence, sovereignty and self-determination, (and) inciting foreign interference in internal affairs,” among other crimes.

Unamos, formerly known as the Sandinista Renewal Movement (MRS), is made up largely of dissidents who split from Ortega’s Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) because they disagreed with his leadership.

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The charges stem from a law initiated by Ortega’s government and approved by parliament in December to defend Nicaragua’s “sovereignty,” which has been criticized by opponents and rights bodies as a means of freezing out challengers.

Julie Chung, the top US diplomat for Latin America, called the arrests “arbitrary” and denounced Ortega’s “campaign of terror” in a tweet.

“OAS (Organization of American States) members must send a clear signal this week: enough repression. The region cannot stand by and wait to see who is next,” she added.

Among the latest detainees, Tellez, 65, has in recent years been a vocal critic of Ortega, a former comrade-in-arms.

They fought together as guerillas against the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza in the 1970s, and she later served as his health minister in the 1980s, before leaving in 1995 to co-found the MRS.

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She was fiercely critical of the Ortega’s government clampdown on demonstrations that started in 2018 to demand his resignation, which according to rights groups claimed at least 328 lives.

Ortega governed Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, returned to power in 2007 and has won two successive reelections since then.

Now 75, he is accused by the opposition and NGOs of increasing authoritarianism.

Ortega is widely expected to seek a fourth term in November elections, though he has not said so.

Since the beginning of the month, his forces have arrested about a dozen opposition figures, including four would-be presidential candidates, eliciting international condemnation and fresh US sanctions against Ortega allies.

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Last month, Nicaragua’s legislature appointed a majority of governing party-aligned magistrates to the election body that will oversee the vote.

It has since disqualified two parties from participating.

Central America

Honduras coffee exports jump nearly 30% in March despite price drop

Coffee exports from Honduras rose by 29.6% year-on-year in March, according to data released Monday by the Instituto Hondureño del Café.

During the third month of the 2025–2026 harvest season, Honduras exported 1,373,817 46-kilogram bags of coffee, up from 1,059,744 bags shipped in March of the previous cycle.

Despite the increase in volume, the average price per bag fell to $307.55, compared to $364.70 recorded in the prior harvest.

Between October and March, total export revenues reached $1.36 billion, representing a 32% increase from the $1.032 billion reported during the same period of the 2024–2025 season.

The United States remained the main destination for Honduran coffee, accounting for 36.5% of total shipments. It was followed by Germany with 16.1% and Belgium with 12.4%.

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In regional terms, Europe absorbed 52% of exports, while North America accounted for 42%, according to the institute’s report.

Honduras remains the largest coffee producer in Central America and ranks among the top six producers worldwide.

Central America

Guatemala extends state of prevention and expands it to new regions

The president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, announced on Monday that his government will extend the state of prevention for 15 more days in six departments and expand the measure to two additional regions as part of efforts to combat organized crime.

Speaking at a press conference, Arévalo said the decision was approved by the Cabinet and formalized through a decree. The measure will remain in place in the departments of Guatemala, Escuintla, Izabal, Petén, San Marcos, and Huehuetenango, and will now also apply to Sacatepéquez and Quetzaltenango.

The president emphasized that the strategy has contributed to reducing homicide rates in the country and will remain a key component of his administration’s security policy.

Defense Minister Henry Sáenz said the measures are “essential to strengthen the government’s presence in areas where security gaps existed” and to weaken organized criminal groups.

Under the state of prevention, the Policía Nacional Civil, supported by the military, is granted broader powers to confront criminal organizations, particularly gangs and drug trafficking networks. The measure also restricts public demonstrations, which can be dispersed by security forces.

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Guatemala has been under heightened security measures since January 18, following a coordinated attack by gangs that left 11 police officers dead, prompting the government to reinforce its response to organized crime.

Central America

Costa Rica urges China to halt actions against Panama-flagged vessels

The government of Costa Rica on Saturday called on China to halt retaliatory actions against vessels flying the Panamaflag, amid escalating tensions over control of two strategic ports linked to the Panama Canal.

In a statement shared on social media, Costa Rica’s Foreign Ministry warned that the situation “puts global trade at risk” and expressed its “deep concern and strongest condemnation” over what it described as “arbitrary and unjustified delays and inspections in Chinese ports.”

The Costa Rican government urged “full respect for international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” while reaffirming its “unconditional support and solidarity” with Panama.

San José’s position aligns with growing international criticism from countries including Honduras, Peru, Paraguay, Israeland Ukraine.

Paraguayan authorities described the detentions as “unacceptable” and pointed to what they called “undue pressure” on the Panamanian government.