Ortega Protects Another Alleged FARC Member

MANAGUA – President Daniel Ortega announced during a speech Sunday night that he has given protection to another Colombian woman allegedly linked to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), who arrived at the Nicaraguan Embassy in Ecuador asking for asylum.

The woman, identified as “Esperanza,” reportedly is another survivor of the March 1 Colombian military attack on the FARC camp in the Ecuadoran jungle – an attack that Ortega has decried as state terrorism.

Ortega said Esperanza is now recovering in a hospital in Managua. She is the fourth survivor of the FARC camp that Ortega has taken under his wing. The other three are: Lucia Morret, an alleged student from Mexico; and Colombian women Martha Pérez and Doris Torres, who are presumed to have been FARC guerrillas.

Ortega’s decision to grant asylum to those allegedly linked to FARC has caused controversy both at home and abroad. Critics claim he’s turning Nicaragua into a safe haven for terrorists.