International
Nicaragua accuses Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama and the Dominican Republic of interference
The Government of Nicaragua accused the countries of the Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama and the Dominican Republic region of meddling in their internal affairs after rejecting the candidacy of former Nicaraguan Chancellor Denis Moncada as the new secretary general of the Central American Integration System (SICA), according to an official text released on Wednesday.
In a statement, the Sandinista Executive chaired by Daniel Ortega together with his wife, Rosario Murillo, explained that on Tuesday afternoon a meeting of SICA Foreign Ministers was held to decide on the terna that was presented in a “responsible and timely manner by Nicaragua to exercise the General Secretariat of the SICA, which corresponds by law and institutionality of the System, to the people and Government of Nicaragua, without reaching consensus for the arbitrary and unfounded positions of some delegations.”
Ortega and Murillo, both appointed co-presidents for a recent reform of the Political Constitution, proposed a terna of candidates headed by former Chancellor Moncada and also composed of Sandinista deputy Arling Patricia Alonso Gómez and Minister of the Family, Johana Flores, after two previous ternas presented did not reach consensus.
“Once again, the delegations of Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama and the Dominican Republic, meddling in the internal and sovereign affairs of the Republic of Nicaragua, intend to dictate and impose their criteria and political interests on sovereign matters, which only correspond to the people and Government of the Republic of Nicaragua to decide,” Managua said.
Managua denounced that “selfish political agendas and interests, unrelated to the regional interest (…) continue to influence the decisions of the Governments that have blocked the legitimate right of the Republic of Nicaragua, with the petty purpose of imposing their political interests.”
For Nicaragua, “these actions only promote division between the peoples and governments of the region, promoting the accelerated disintegration of this important regional space, an attitude that constitutes a frank violation of the Tegucigalpa Protocol.”
Therefore, Managua called on the governments of the region “to assume a responsible position and to act on the basis of the Regional Regulations and Presidential Agreements that govern the Integration System, but above all to assume an attitude consistent with the interests of our peoples,” and assured that “it will not decline in its struggle for respect for their sovereignty and national dignity.”
At the end of last November, Nicaragua threatened Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama and the Dominican Republic with taking “some measures” against them for opposing the election of former Chancellor Moncada as the new secretary general of the SICA, and described a joint note issued by those four countries in this regard as “disrespectful and imposing”.
The General Secretariat of SICA has been vacant since in mid-November 2023 the Nicaraguan lawyer Werner Vargas resigned from the position for the period 2022-2026, appointed as Nicaragua’s proposal.
The SICA, created in Tegucigalpa in 1991, is integrated by Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic as full members, while Mexico, the United States and other countries have the category of regional observers.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
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