Political and social instability in Nicaragua has forced more than 100,000 people to leave their country since the surge in violence in 2018, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Shabia Mantoo said in a press briefing on Tuesday
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th March, 2020) Political and social instability in Nicaragua has forced more than 100,000 people to leave their country since the surge in violence in 2018, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Shabia Mantoo said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
"Nearly two years after Nicaragua was plunged into a serious political and crisis, more than 100,000 people have fled reported persecution and human rights abuses in the country, seeking asylum abroad," Mantoo told reporters.
The spokesperson pointed out that an absence of a foreseeable resolution to the crisis in Nicaragua, the number of people fleeing the country - averaging 4,000 a month - will continue to increase.
Mantoo said some 77,000 Nicaraguans have fled to Costa Rica, 8,000 to Panama, nearly 4,000 to Mexico and 9,000 to various countries in Europe. An additional 5,100 Nicaraguans are hosted in other nations across the world.
In April 2018, anti-government protests erupted in Nicaragua over increased taxes and pension cuts. In December, media reported that 300 Nicaraguans have since been killed by the country's security forces and government-allied militias.
