MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Luxembourg ends diplomatic mission in Nicaragua

Luxembourg's affaires in Nicaragua will be handled by the Embassy in Washington, DC

Luxembourg has announced the withdrawal of its embassy in Managua while diplomatic ties with Nicaragua will be handled by the Embassy in Washington, DC as of Feb. 1. Charge d'Affaires Joe Geisbusch will end his mission Jan. 30.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has decided to suspend the activities of the Luxembourg Embassy in Managua as of February 1, 2022,” a statement read.

According to a Managua radio station, the Luxembourg delegation used to carry out programs for different sectors of the population, such as scholarships and food donations.

Luxembourg's decision came a day after the Daniel Ortega regime announced that the president will start his fifth overall and fourth consecutive term during a ceremony at the Plaza de la Revolución next Monday.

The 76-year-old ex-Sandinista guerrilla, who has been in power since 2007 after having coordinated a Government Junta from 1979 to 1985 and presiding over the country for the first time from 1985 to 1990, won the November 7 elections with 75.87% of the votes, while most of his political opponents were either in prison or in exile.

The General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) approved a resolution in which it assured that those elections lacked “democratic legitimacy” and were neither free, nor fair, nor transparent. The United States described the election as a “pantomime” and the European Union (EU) said they were “fake.”

Ortega's regime accused the OAS of “interference” and announced Nicaragua intended to leave the organization.

Among the countries that congratulated Ortega on his reelection were Bolivia, North Korea, Cuba, Iran, Palestine, Russia, Syria, Venezuela and Vietnam.

Nicaragua has experienced a crisis since the popular revolt of April 2018 due to controversial social security reforms which prompted calls for Ortega's resignation. The Government responded with force. The protests left at least 355 dead, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), although local organizations mention 684 casualties while the government only recognizes 200.