Nicaragua – Social Unrest (DG ECHO, IACHR, FUNIDES, IMF) (ECHO Daily Flash of 7 November 2018)

Following six months of civil unrest in Nicaragua, 52 000 Nicaraguans have settled in Costa Rica, 40 386 of which have requested international protection (mostly students and health workers) and 13 697 who have already formalised their asylum applications.

OHCHR and IACHR condemned the beating at La Esperanza prison of 17 female detainees by 70 male guards. The Nicaraguan government continues to refuse access to human rights organisations to detention centres.

417 000 people have been dismissed or suspended from their jobs since the beginning of the crisis, 84% of whom are engaged in activities related to commerce, hotels and restaurants, agriculture, forestry, fishing and construction.

According to the Central Bank of Nicaragua, the Nicaraguan Institute of Social Security (INSS) had decreased 134 347 affiliates in the period between March and August and has been in economic recession since October.The economic recession from the crisis is estimated at -4% for 2018.