Nicaragua News Service March 21-27, 1994 Vol. 2, No. 12 by Colleen Littlejohn Major news stories of the week: 1. Sandinista leader murdered in Wiwili 2. Managua's Vice-Mayor under detention order 3. Two commissions to review IMF conditions 4. Alarming statistics on malnutrition in Nicaragua 5. Four thousand sugar cane workers laid off 6. Gen. Ortega gives testimony in Jean Paul Genie case 7. Esteemed Nicaragua poet passes on 8. Semana Santa in Nicaragua ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Sandinista leader murdered in Wiwili Javier Barahona, Vice-mayor of Wiwili, and FSLN chief of the town, was tortured and assassinated last Monday, March 21, after having been kidnapped by a recontra group headed by "Omar," a member of the 3-80 Front who has refused to give up arms in the present disarmament movement. Javier Barahona was a Sandinista militant with years of experience in the struggle against Somoza. In the early 1970's he was the intermediary between the legendary German Pomares and Omar Cabezas who is today a member of the National Assembly. Homero Guatemala, FSLN political secretary for the Jinotega department, denounced that with the murder of Barahona, at least 212 Sandinista leaders in the north have been murdered by recontras. "These are selective crimes," stated Jose Gonzalez, Sandinista leader in Matagalpa. "They are assassinating us just like they did Sandino and his men in Wiwili. History is repeating itself." Gonzalez also decried that at the same time the Sandinistas are being murdered with impunity in the north, the government is negotiating key police positions with top leaders of the 3-80 Front, who are directly involved in these assassinations. The crime was also denounced by the US embassy in Managua. (Barricada 3/23) 2. Managua's Vice-Mayor under detention order Managua Vice-Mayor Roberto Cendeno, and Victor Guerrero, former head of Managua's civil works, were ordered detained last week by the judge who is hearing the case of corruption and robbery against those two as well as Mayor Arnoldo Aleman. The case, which involves the investigation of eight specific cases of corruption by the mayor and his closest associates, has been in session for over three months. Aleman has used a series of legal maneuvers to avoid testifying under oath. 3. Two commissions to review IMF conditions Evenor Taboada, president of the Nicaraguan Central Bank, announced last week that after Holy Week Nicaragua would sign a "letter of intent" with the IMF that would constitute the first step in the eventual signing of a new agreement between the IMF and the government. Taboada stated that the government had agreed to reduce the public spending budget by 4.9% by laying off state workers in a "Program of Labor Mobility" and by increased efficiency in tax collections. Meanwhile, Antonio Lacayo, Minister of the Presidency, issued an invitation to 45 representatives of the producer's associations, businesspeople, economists, bankers, politicians and labor leaders to meet together so that the government could inform them of the state of IMF-government negotiations. Lacayo began the invitation by writhing the, "We all know that there is no alternative to the implementation of the adjustments--we must do it with or without international aid. Naturally these adjustments will be easier with the decided support of the international community." The meeting, on Thursday, March 24, lasted over 12 hours and resulted in the forming of two commissions -- one technical and one "high level." Within the next twelve days the commissions will review the viability of the terms that the government is ready to sign with the IMF. The establishment of the commissions broke the deadlock between the two major positions of the meeting, that of the government which maintains that there is no other way out except to sign, and that of the FSLN, and other sectors, which believes that there could be more favorable terms negotiated. Meanwhile, last week a World Bank mission visited Nicaragua to evaluate the possibilities of supporting the government's economic program after the government signs the pending IMF agreement to continue the implementation of IMF oriented structural adjustments. The loans, which are estimated at $140 million dollars for the next 15 months, will be financed by the governments of Japan, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. The World Bank mission studying the loan will be reviewing government progress in such areas as tax reform, banking, labor code, the privatization process, and property rights, among other things. (Barricada 3/21, 3/23; La Prensa 3/25) 4. Alarming statistics on malnutrition in Nicaragua The committee for World Food Security of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FOA) of the United Nations has certified that the levels of poverty and malnutrition in Nicaragua are on the levels of African countries such as Somalia. Nicaragua is number 14 on the list of world countries with the most critical food problems. The nations with the most critical problems include Peru, Nicaragua, Haiti, Afghanistan, Burundi, Lesotho, Zambia, Botswana, Chad, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Somalia, according to the FAO report. In a study entitled, 'The Food and Nutrition situation in Nicaragua," the investigation for which took place in May of 1993, the FAO certified that residents of Managua had access to 1,808 calories per day, when the minimum daily requirement is 2,155 calories. The study also affirmed that 68% suffered acute caloric shortages because of lack of access to food. The basic diet of 92% of Nicaraguans consist of rice, beans, oil and sugar. Local papers report that the price of corn has risen by 20% due to product shortages. Less corn was planted in the previous agricultural cycle due to lack of access to credit by producers. (Barricada 3/23; El Semanario 3/24) 5. Four thousand sugar cane workers laid off 4,150 sugar cane workers have been laid off for two to five months until the pre-harvest activities for the 1994-95 sugar harvest begin again. In the sugar factories where the workers have part ownership, the laid off workers will receive a percentage of their salary and 75% of their basic food package. The private companies without worker ownership have not yet announced what compensation will be given their workers. Since the beginning of the privatization process in 1992, the number of workers in the sugar cane factories have been reduced from 13,000 to 5,000. In the privatization process, the members of the Federation of Sugar Workers opted to concentrate their options in the purchase of the Javier Guerra sugar mill, in which they now own 100% of the shares. The San Antonio and German Pomares mills were returned to the Pellas and Lacayo families, respectively. 75% of the shares of the Victoria de Julio and Benjamin Zeledon were sold to European investors, while 25% of the land was deeded to the workers. 6. Gen. Ortega gives testimony in Jean Paul Genie case Gen. Humberto Ortega, head of the Nicaraguan army, gave four hours of testimony last week in the military court which is investigating the death of Jean Paul Genie, killed by bullet fire on the Masaya highway in 1990. The Genie family maintains the position that their son was killed by Ortega's bodyguards and that Ortega is responsible for covering up their responsibility. Ortega testified that he and his bodyguards were in his home at the time of the death of Jean Paul. Ortega also declared that he had not obstructed any investigation of the killing. The military judge prohibited the General from leaving Managua until the court has passed judgment in the case. Ortega's lawyer later stated to the press that the judge's order was a measure that is used routinely in court cases and that "Gen. Ortega is not running away from the case." Before giving testimony, Ortega read a statement in which he accused extremist sector, linked to Senator Jesse helms, of manipulating the sentiments of the Genie family in their attempt to orchestrate a campaign to discredit the army. Ortega has not relinquished his involvement in military matter while the current trial is in session. This means that he has given up the right to appeal the judge's decision to the Supreme Court in the event that he is found guilty of obstructing justice. The general's lawyers denied that he was under house arrest and affirmed that he is still in command of the Nicaraguan army. The National Directorate of the FSLN issued a statement in which they declared their moral support for General Ortega and agreed that there was a campaign to discredit the Nicaraguan army on the part of the ultra right in the US and Nicaragua. (Barricada 3/22, 2/23) 7. Esteemed Nicaragua poet passes on "After the death of Ruben Dario, and despite the fact that we have lost other great poets since then, the passing of Jose Coronel Urtecho is the loss that has been felt most by Nicaraguan literature." This tribute to the life of Jose Coronel Urtecho was stated by another contemporary Nicaraguan poet, Pablo Antonio Cuadra upon learning of the death of the first of the three most famous Nicaraguan poets of the 20th century. Cuadra himself is one of the trio as is Ernesto Cardenal, who stated that Coronel Urtecho was "the most intelligent man that Nicaragua has ever produced -- and not only Nicaragua. He was the best conversationalist that I have met in the world." Urtecho was the founder of the "Vanguard Movement" of Nicaraguan literature and mentor of several generations of Nicaraguan poets. He died on Saturday, March 19. In the mid 1950's he went to live in Rio San Juan where he lived until his death. (Barricada 3/21) 8. Semana Santa in Nicaragua Those trying to get in touch with Nicaraguan government officials, or for that matter, practically any office in Nicaragua will probably be frustrated this week as the majority of workplaces closed down on Friday afternoon, March 25 until the morning of Tuesday, April 5, for the traditional Holy Week vacations. [Editor's Note: Due to the fact that little of traditional "news value" happens during Holy Week in Nicaragua, there will be no Nicaragua News Service next week. Anything that might happen will be covered in the following week's report.]