Nicaaragua: The local branch of the Red Cross in Nicaragua, a non-profit organization that provides humanitarian aid, has been dissolved by the National Assembly of Nicaragua as part of the government’s ongoing efforts to suppress groups seen as hostile to the government of President Daniel Ortega.

The legislation to shut down the Red Cross was passed unanimously on Wednesday by the legislature under the control of Ortega’s Sandinista Party. The lawmakers called for a new decentralized and autonomous Nicaragua Red Cross under the government’s Ministry of Health, but it remains uncertain how the country would fund such a venture.

The action against the Red Cross is part of a broader attempt to silence perceived government critics and other organizations, including the Catholic Church.

The Nicaraguan government has accused the organisation perpetrating “attacks on peace and stability” for its role in anti-government demonstrations in 2018. The protests began as a student-led movement against changes to Nicaragua’s social security system and quickly grew into a larger push against Mr. Ortega’s administration.

While the Red Cross claimed that its participation in the protests was limited to aiding the injured, Nicaragua’s government accused the organization of violating its commitment to political neutrality. As part of Wednesday’s resolution, the government will seize the Red Cross’s property in the country.

More than 3,000 groups and nongovernmental organisations have been closed in Nicaragua as part of its crackdown on supposed dissent. They range from an equestrian centre to the 94-year-old Nicaraguan Academy of Letters.

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