Nicaragua has officially ended its membership in the Organization of American States (OAS) after completing a two-year withdrawal process. The Nicaraguan government is celebrating this departure, as they believe it removes them from an organization tied to the wishes of the United States. However, the United States has analyzed new sanctions against the Ortega regime, while opposition leaders in Nicaragua congratulated Javier Milei on his electoral victory in Argentina.
Nicaragua’s Foreign Minister Denis Moncada stated that the country has ceased to be a member of the OAS because it perceived the organization as an “interference” group, linked to the United States. The Nicaraguan government made this decision two years ago due to questions surrounding the OAS’s performance during the 2018 crisis, which resulted in about 300 deaths according to human rights organizations.
The OAS issued a statement urging Nicaragua to “respect all human rights,” and Human Rights Watch warned that leaving the OAS does not absolve Nicaragua from its human rights obligations. Several exiled opposition leaders congratulated La Libertad Avanza candidate Javier Milei on his victory in Argentina’s presidential elections, expressing hope that he will lead his country towards development.
The US ambassador to the OAS, Francisco Mora, announced that Washington is considering applying new “political and economic” sanctions against the Nicaraguan regime to force it to fulfill its commitments regarding human rights and democracy. However, Mora emphasized that these sanctions would not negatively affect the Nicaraguan population.