Putting Deadly Nicaragua Protests Into Context

FEATURING COURTNEY MORRIS – The US State Department has ordered family members of US Embassy staff in Nicaragua to evacuate the Central American nation. Deadly protests that have claimed at least 27 lives have rocked the nation after President Daniel Ortega announced an overhaul to the social security system.

Among those who died was a journalist who was shot while in the middle of a Facebook live video. Protesters have been firing homemade mortars while police are being accused of heavy handedness. On Friday the government ordered National Army troops to protect government buildings.

Even though President Ortega has said the pension reforms were canceled, a broader disaffection with his presidency has set in and protests have continued.

Courtney Morris is a news correspondent for Rising Up With Sonali and an assistant professor of African American and Women’s Studies at Penn State University.