No End in Sight for Escalating Violence on Managuas Streets Jun 3, 2006 – Nicaragua Network Hotline
Students continue to senselessly clash violently with Managua bus
cooperatives and police while the Bolaρos government and the parties in the
National Assembly twiddle their thumbs. Both combatants have truth and
justice on their side and it is only the failure of the political class that
has set two groups in conflict that should be allied.
Students are correct that most Managua residents can ill afford the legal bus
fare of US$0.15 and can't afford the unauthorized increase to US$0.18.
Transportation cooperative members, the vast majority of whom own the bus
they drive and depend on fares to support their families, are also correct
that skyrocketing oil prices cause them to work at a loss at the official
fare of fifteen cents.
The failure of the political class to deal with the crisis meant that
violence continued last week with dozens of injuries and at least 24 people
detained by police. On May 23 a group of university students blocked traffic
on the Avenida Universitaria and nearby Rubιn Darνo traffic circle in protest
against the violent police response to secondary school students' protests
the day before. Armed police attempted to break up the university students'
protest but student resistance and the use of mortar bombs and stones led to
the usual tear gas and rubber bullets response from police.
On May 23, 24, 25 and 26 violent confrontations between police and students
took place at several points across the city. A group of masked students
protesting outside the National Autonomous University (UNAN)-Managua campus
situated on the Pan American Highway on the outskirts of Managua employed the
new tactic of placing electrified wires on a foot bridge. This was done so as
to avoid police "shooting at us from up there and disrupting our protests"
according to one student.
Three buses were burned during the week and a number were seriously damaged
by groups of masked university and secondary school students across the
capital. According to the President of the Regional Union of Transportation
Cooperatives (URECOOTRACO) Rafael Quinto, protesters have caused US$60,000
worth of damage to buses in Managua during the last two weeks.
On May 24 one student and one free trade zone worker were seriously injured
when a number of bus drivers attacked protesters outside the UNAN-Managua. An
18 year old student was shot in the thigh by an angry bus driver using a
revolver while a 20 year old worker from a nearby factory who was mistaken
for a student by a group of bus drivers suffered serious head injuries after
being hit with metal tubes and bottles.
On May 25 the National Assembly finally approved the US$2.1 million subsidy
for public transportation in Managua which was promised back in February to
end the transportation stoppage. Quinto made it clear that the payment of the
subsidy would not bring the bus fare down to US$0.15, however, as the subsidy
only covers the months of February and March and will be used to pay existing
debts.
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