About 2,100 children in Nicaragua can no longer attend school because teachers in over 60 schools have been driven from their posts by armed groups, a local bishop has said.
Estelí’s Bishop Abelardo Mata,who has visited the area around San José de Bocay, said teachers in the area have been threatened by militants who want total control of the region.
They “are accused of being political activists of the Frente Sandinista” he said, pointing out that as supposed members of the Sandinista political party, “they have been threatened and do not go to school because they fear for their lives”.
Local media report that this situation is widely known in the area, but that education and security authorities refuse to confirm this or release an official report on the facts.