The Nicaraguan Army will close starting today, Wednesday, March 25, the blind spots on the country’s southern border with Costa Rica.
La Prensa said it had unofficially learned the military will not allow anyone to enter or exit through these points.
Nicaragua’s main independent news outlet said it tried to confirm the measures with Colonel Álvaro Rivas, an Army spokesman, but he has not responded to requests.
Costa Rica has expressed concern about the transit of Nicaraguan migrants, both into and out of Costa Rica, through blind spots, despite the country’s closure of the border on March 18, not allowing foreigners to enter.
On Monday, March 23, Costa Rican president Carlos Alvarado added that all legal residents and refugees who leave during the national emergency would lose their migratory status.
Although the decree is for all foreigner residents in that country, it is clearly aimed at Nicaraguans and mass exodus that occurs each year during Semana Santa.
In addition to the migratory measure, Costa Rica Fuerza Publica (National Police) and Policia de Fronteras (border police) reinforced manpower along the mutual border, with emphasis on the blind spots, with an officer every 100 meters.
Meeting in Guasaule, the border with Honduras
Nicaraguan Vice President and First Lady Rosario Murillo reported on Wednesday that the Nicaraguan authorities met with their counterparts in Honduras, at the El Guasuale border post to coordinate prevention and security strategies to combat the coronavirus.
The binational meeting held Wednesday morning was chaired by the foreign ministers of both countries, and the ministries of state such as the health, government, police, and Nicaraguan Army.
“We were there in responsible and serious coordination to continue sharing as Central American brothers the communications and efforts to confront the pandemic,” said Murillo, explaining that the topics addressed during the meeting were health, emergency care, security, migration, as well as border and trade cooperation, and the fight against organized crime.
Meeting between Costa Rica and Nicaragua
On Saturday, March 21, Costa Rican authorities convened an emergency meeting with their Nicaraguan counterparts to discuss joint actions to deal with the spread of the new coronavirus. At the end of the bilateral meeting, the governments of Costa Rica and Nicaragua agreed to establish mechanisms to share information on the health situation, but keep the borders open for the transit of goods.
The meeting was held at the Peñas Blancas and attended by Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Denis Moncada with representatives of the Police, Migration, Civil Defense and the Ministry of Health. The Costa Rica delegation was led by that country’s Foreign Minister Rodolfo Solano and other ministers of that country, including the Minister of Health, Dr. Daniel Salas.
Nicaraguan authorities did not provide information on whether there was any agreement on sanitary and migratory measures with Costa Rica.
Nicaragua is one of the few countries that has not closed its borders as a measure against the pandemic of the new coronavirus Covid-19.
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