Fifteen people have been killed and 218 injured in violent incidents in troubled Nicaragua, police said Thursday.

Wednesday's violence hit the capital Managua, where paramilitary gunmen reportedly attacked an anti-government demonstration; the city of Chinandega in the north-west; Esteli in the north; and Masaya near the capital.

Police deputy chief Francisco Diaz told pro-government broadcaster Canal 4 that 182 civilians and 36 police officers sustained gunshot injuries.

Diaz attributed the violence to "criminal groups," while a statement by President Daniel Ortega linked those groups with the opposition.

Ortega denied the existence of paramilitary groups allied with the government.

The Bishops' Conference denounced action by "armed groups close to the government against the civilian population" and said it was impossible to now resume dialogue in which the Catholic Church had mediated between civil society organizations and the authorities.

The army meanwhile denied that security forces had cooperated with paramilitary groups to crack down on demonstrators.

"We shall never accept slanderous information. The Nicaraguan army has absolute control over its forces," according to the statement.

The Central American country has been in turmoil since April 17, when protests erupted against new taxes on old age and disability pensions, as well as an increase in social security contributions.

Protesters are now demanding Ortega's resignation.

The official death toll from the violence stands at 39; human rights group Amnesty International has said, however, that more than 80 people have been killed.

Source: Daily Sabah

BDST: 1659 HRS, JUN 1, 2018
SI