Written by: Incontext International
Article source: www.incontextinternational.org

On Monday 31 May, Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega ordered the closure of 83 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) bringing the total number of shutdowns to over 400 since 2018. The Nicaraguan parliament has closed 200 NGOs in 2022 alone, citing non-compliance with required registration and reporting policies.

Mr Ortega began his campaign against NGOs and civil society organisations following widespread anti-government protests in 2018, saying many of the NGOs operating in the country were behind a suspected coup against his administration. The organisations targeted by the government’s crackdown vary widely in their sectors of influence, ranging from education and human rights advocacy groups to agricultural foundations and medical charities.

Government policy now requires NGOs operating within Nicaragua to register as “agents of a foreign government” if they receive any funding from abroad or have more than 25% foreign workers. The first few rounds of closures mostly included organisations with political affiliations outside of Mr Ortega’s ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front party.

However, recent lists of suspended organisations include Operation Smile – a dental organisation that provided free oral surgeries for children, Pan y Amor (Bread and Love) – an educational resource for children facing abuse, and Paz y Desarollo (Peace and Development) – a group that advocated for better living conditions for those in cyclical poverty, among hundreds of others.

These groups and several others who were working to improve social, economic, and agricultural conditions were cancelled for failing to register as “foreign agents” or for neglecting required financial reporting. At least 12 universities have also had their legal status revoked and are now under government, rather than private, control.

FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE 

± 6.64 MILLION96.2% CHRISTIAN

42.9% EVANGELICAL

0 UNREACHED GROUPS

Mr Ortega’s decision to stop over 400 NGOs from operating in Nicaragua has far-reaching implications, beyond just that of the lost work for marginalised communities. Many Christian organisations operate as NGOs in Nicaragua and the wider Latin America region.

Some of the NGOs cancelled by Mr Ortega are faith-based organisations, and the prohibition of their work, along with Mr Ortega’s government’s treatment of Christian leaders, has led Nicaragua to be added to the United States State Department’s Special Watch List for religious freedom.

As the standing religious authority in Nicaragua, the Catholic Church is granted special status, therefore allowing it to operate outside of the country’s NGO registration laws. Since the Catholic Church was operating as an official entity prior to the non-profit legislation, it is exempt from having to register its ministries with the Ministry of the Interior, a provision that evangelical churches do not have.

Any Christian organisation outside of the Catholic Church is subject to the registration rules of secular NGOs, making Christian ministries just as vulnerable to Mr Ortega’s crackdown as secular organisations. Mr Ortega has been criticised for his treatment and harassment of religious institutions, and without the same international support as that of the Vatican for the Catholic Church, protestant denominations and ministries are susceptible to mistreatment by the government and its supporters.

Despite the increasing hostility, it is reported that evangelical Christianity is growing in Nicaragua. The Lord is using Nicaragua’s current circumstances, as undesirable as they may seem from an earthly perspective, to bring about the growth of His Kingdom. Paul reminds the Church in Colossae that the Lord is always working, and the Gospel is always “bearing fruit all over the world.” (Colossians 1:6) It is in times of societal turbulence that the Church has an opportunity to show unbelievers what it means to “live apart” and demonstrate the victorious light of Christ.

Please pray with us for the following:

  • For all those Christian organisations that have been affected by Nicaragua’s new registration policies, that they would find creative ways to continue reaching people
  • For the Lord to provide services and aid to those communities impacted by the loss of these NGOs
  • For local believers and churches to step up and fill the gaps left by the organisations, that they would make the most of this opportunity

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Date published: 25/06/2022
Feature image: www.incontextinternational.org

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