Nearly 90% of Nicaraguans who have fled to Costa Rica due to the crisis in Nicaragua are planning to return to their country. This is revealed by a study made by the Arias Foundation for Peace and Progress, released on Monday. However, the departure of current President Daniel Ortega is a requirement for them to leave Costa Rican soil.
April 18th marks one year since the internal crisis began in Nicaragua. That was the date of the first demonstrations against the decisions of the Ortega government, who responded with repression and violence.
It is estimated that Nicaragua reaches its first year of internal crisis with more than 400 deaths during the protests. Many of them were university students, who are the backbone of the Nicaraguan protest.
The repression against the students was also demonstrated in the new analysis of the Arias Foundation for Peace. The report reveals that 53% of those who have fled from Nicaragua to Costa Rica are university students and another 11% have a medium or higher technical degree.
To find these results, 382 Nicaraguan exiles were interviewed face to face between the months of February and March. Samcam and Elvira Cuadra, researchers in charge, explained that these data apply to the entire group of exiles currently residing in Costa Rica.