State of the World's Minorities 2008 - Nicaragua

After years of chafing under limitations imposed by Nicaragua's Supreme Electoral Council (CSE), the country's largest indigenous social movement YATAMA chose to form a political alliance with its former wartime adversaries the Sandinista Front for National Liberation (FSLN) to contest the December 2006 national elections.

The favourable outcome, which saw the return of the FSLN to power, was seen as an important development given the role the Frente (FSLN) had previously played in advancing the issue of autonomy for the North and South Atlantic coast regions (RAAS and RAAN).

The unprecedented action by YATAMA (Yapti Tasbaya Maraska Nani Asla Takanka or Organization of the Nations of the Mother Earth) – which historically has been Miskitu-led – was intended to ensure greater ethno-cultural inclusion. This implies enabling the indigenous Mayagna, Miskitu and Rama peoples, and Creole and Garifuna minority populations, to collectively address issues like enhancing socio-economic development and exercising more control over regional resources.

Given the multicultural history of Nicaragua's Caribbean coast and the mixed Afro-indigenous nature of the society, the issue of ethnicity has always been a fluid reality, often based more on self-definition and cultural preferences rather than fixed genetic boundaries.

YATAMA's decision to field candidates from other ethnic groups – such as their ultimately successful Creole woman representative – was therefore a significant step towards rebuilding strong intercultural understanding and avoiding conflict; especially given the tensions that had emerged in the post-civil war years, when Atlantic coast communities increasingly begun to divide along exclusionary ethno-political lines.

The winning candidates of the FSLN/YATAMA coalition, upon taking office in 2007, declared their intention to work together to increase participation of the region's ethnic groups at the national level, to develop the Atlantic regions and improve the overall functioning of the autonomy process.

They claimed that the former governing party (PLC) has never defended the region's multi-ethnic group interests, choosing instead to promote Hispanic cultural homogeneity that failed to protect minority languages or cultures.

The need for conflict avoidance in the region during 2008 is very important. On 4 September 2007 the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua was hit by Hurricane Felix, a category 5 storm with an average wind speed of 230 mph. The North Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAN), which was the worst affected area, is mainly inhabited by the Miskitu indigenous group.

The Nicaragua army reported the destruction of over 19,000 houses affecting nearly 32,000 families; 102 people lost their lives and 90 per cent of the crops were destroyed, along with livestock and fishing equipment. Reconstruction was estimated to cost approximately US $50 million.