Nicaraguan authorities on Jan 17 swore in over 1,400 masked civilians to establish a new "volunteer" police force, sparking concerns from human rights groups about President Daniel Ortega's administration formalizing a paramilitary group.
Opposition members and human rights organizations worry that this force aims to institutionalize armed civilians loyal to Ortega, with some recruits allegedly linked to the violent crackdown on anti-government protests in 2018.
A government source reported that over 4,000 individuals have been enlisted in the force within a span of three days nationwide this week.
Approved by the government-controlled legislature, modifications to Nicaragua's constitution, including the creation of this new force, are scheduled to take effect in the upcoming weeks, consolidating power in the hands of Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo.
During a swearing-in ceremony in the city of Ocotal, police chief Francisco Diaz characterized the new force as a supportive body for the existing police force, voluntarily composed of civilians who will "defend peace and security."
Nicaraguan poet and leading opposition figure, Gioconda Belli, currently in exile in Spain, criticized Ortega and Murillo on social media, stating: "Without any scruples, Ortega and Murillo make 1,500 paramilitaries swear loyalty to them with their faces covered by balaclavas. A lawless, repressive army that has been given constitutional status."