An alleged attack against Miskito separatists by Sandinista supporters and Nicaraguan riot police has reportedly left two indigenous men dead, eight people injured and an unknown number of people under arrest, according to unconfirmed reports from separatist leaders in the North Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAN).

Separatist leader Rev. Héctor Williams, known as the Wihta-Tara, or “Great Judge,” of the self-declared Communitarian Nation of the Moskitia, told The Nica Times Monday evening that the situation in the regional capital of Bilwi is “very serious” after a day of violent clashes between riot police, Sandinistas and indigenous separatists.

Williams said a group of “8,000 separatists” marched peacefully on Bilwi Monday morning to assert their claim to independence, but were attacked by tear gas and bullets fired by riot police, as well as rocks thrown by “drunken Sandinista thugs” trying to defend the regional government controlled by their party.

“This is not over yet, and I don't know how this night is going to end, or what Bilwi will be like tomorrow,” Williams said in a phone interview. “Their plan is to massacre, destroy and exterminate us, but the people are defending themselves with their fingernails and rocks.”

Other, non-separatist sources in Bilwi confirmed Monday's violence, but said the separatist group numbered closer to 1,000 or 2,000, not the 8,000 claimed by Williams. Still, the source said, the number of indigenous separatists continued to grow throughout the day as more Miskitos came into town from the surrounding communities. The separatists easily outnumbered the Sandinista supporters and riot police combined, according to witnesses.

The alleged clash with police occurred around 1 p.m., about 50 meters outside of the regional government building, which the separatists announced they were going to take over as part of their claim to independence (NT, Oct. 16). Though President Daniel Ortega gave specific orders earlier this year that the police are not to use tear gas on Nicaraguans, the riot police reportedly fired dozens of canisters of tear gas at the protesters, and chased the indigenous demonstrators as the fled, firing at them indiscriminately.

One 68-year-old Miskito elder allegedly died from inhaling the tear gas, according to separatists.

The Nica Times sought comment from the National Police, but a spokeswoman for Commissioner Vilma Reyes curtly said she had “no information” about what was going on, and quickly got off the phone.

Non-separatist Bilwi residents interviewed yesterday by The Nica Times confirmed that police fired tear gas on the crowd. One government worker, who wished to remain unidentified, said the Sandinistas were trying to force state employees to take to the streets to stop the separatist march – an order he said he refused because it's in clear violation of the country's Labor Code.

“The situation here is horrible,” the source said. “There is violence and injuries and all the businesses are closed and the windows are boarded up as if a hurricane was coming – a human hurricane, which is even more dangerous.”

Guillermo Espinosa, the separatist movement's minister of defense, told The Nica Times Monday afternoon that his movement will continue to protest “civilly,” but warned that there is only so much repression people can take.

“If they are going to mistreat us, we won't allow it,” he warned. “We are going forward on independence.”

Central America is the most murderous region in the world when it comes to non-political fatalities, according to a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) security report released on Monday.

Since the year 2000, the murder rate has climbed in all seven countries, from Guatemala to Panama. The killings have shown few signs of decline and the Central American countries have consistently surpassed the global average.

When averaged out among the seven nations, the region reported over 33 homicides per 100,000 citizens per year in 2008. In 2006 – the most recent global tally available – the world averaged nine homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.

Costa Rica, which has the lowest rate in the region, saw its homicide numbers almost double in eight years – rising from six per 100,000 inhabitants in 2000 to 11 in 2008.

Honduras, widely considered the poorest country in Central America, reported the most homicides per 100,000 people – 58 in 2008.

The report primarily blames spikes in drug trafficking and organized crime – including a growing number of gangs – as the main culprits for the increased assaults.

While some governments have indicated that they prefer beefed up police forces and strengthened sanctions to prevent deadly aggression, Luiza Carvalho, Costa Rica's resident representative for UNDP (locally called PNUD), believes that the solution lies elsewhere.

“Solutions to security problems do not come from a hard fist or a soft hand, but from strategy, knowledge and the development of adequate tools and protection of the rule of law,” Carvalho said. “Solutions require civility and social inclusion. … The best solutions to citizen insecurity problems will be found in a democratic system.”

Photo Report: One of this year's dazzling parade dancers at the Limón Carnival. Click on the image for more photos from the festival.

Keely Kernan | Tico Times

LIMON – Lim ón Carnival's main attraction, the costume parade, took place Saturday under the watchful eye of a large police presence as thousands took to the Caribbean port city's streets to celebrate its return after a three-year hiatus.

Floats, samba drums, colorful outfits and jerk chicken were the order of the day, as the streets came alive in true Caribbean style.

Baton-wielding mounted police turned out in large numbers to ensure that the event passed without the outbreaks of violence and petty theft that have marred the event in previous years.

Music school bands from around the country made the trip to the southeastern coast to participate in the parade, and enthusiasts watched from tiered stands lining the streets.

The Health Ministry's fears that organizers had failed to clear the Lim ón streets of garbage in preparation for the large influx of visitors were unfounded.

Visitors who arrived early in anticipation of a noon start were surprised to find desolate, but clean, streets. The parade actually got underway at 3 p.m.

Elena Rivas, a Limón hairdresser, said, “It doesn't feel like Carnival this year because not so many people have come out for it.”

However, residents celebrated the festival's return.

Health officials had suspended the carnival since 2006 due to fears of an outbreak of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease, linked to the presence of pools of standing water and the failure to adequately dispose of household waste.

“It's great it wasn't canceled,” Rivas said, “but because of all the problems in the past, it seems to have lost its momentum. Usually the streets are full, but not this year.”

President Oscar Arias is viewing the United States' interest in an Arms Trade Treaty as one more trophy to put on his wall.

The disarmament advocate celebrated a statement made by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which announced the commitment of her country to the establishment of international standards for arms trading.

Arias said the U.S. interest “is encouraging” because it represents “a radical” change from previously held positions. But it is also significant because the U.S. is the largest producer of conventional weapons.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Clinton said, “The United States is committed to actively pursuing a strong and robust treaty that contains the highest possible, legally binding standards for the international transfer of conventional weapons.”

But she placed a condition a condition on U.S. support, saying that “consensus is needed to ensure the widest possible support for the treaty and to avoid loopholes in the treaty that can be exploited by those wishing to export arms irresponsibly.”

W ith U.S. participation under the leadership of recent Nobel Peace Prize laureate Barack Obama, Arias said an arms treaty will gain significant momentum toward adoption.

Arias, a Nobel Prize recipient himself, began his initiative to regulate the arms trade in 1997 through his Arias Foundation for Peace. In 2005, under the leadership of Costa Rica and with the support of Argentina, Australia, Finland, Japan, Kenya and the United Kingdom, the United Nations initiated discussion on a binding treaty addressing the arms trade.

In front of the U.N. General Assembly in September, Arias called on countries “to approve the Arms Trade Treaty … because if it is legitimate for us to worry about the possibility that terrorist networks have access to nuclear weapons, it is also legitimate for us to worry about the rifles, grenades and machine guns that gave (terrorists) their power.”

The Costa Rican food and drink market has caught the eye of Central Europe. Over the weekend, members of the Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER) met with representatives from the Czech Republic to discuss interest in the purchase and potential trade of Costa Rican food and drink products. The meeting, which was held in the Czech capital city of Prague, was the first-ever trade-related meeting between the two countries.

According to PROCOMER, the Costa Rican products discussed for potential trade include bananas and banana juice, coffee, pineapple juice, mangos, liquors, chocolates, cakes, condiments, spices, corn flour, various teas, macadamia nuts, peanuts and almonds.

“We expect to have about 30 meetings with representatives from our business this visit to the Czech Republic,” said Emmanuel Hess, general manager of PROCOMER. “But above all, we hope to generate important trade contacts that provide greater growth for the Costa Rica food industry.”

Hess also mentioned the importance of establishing trade negotiations with a country that has shown tremendous growth in foreign trade in recent years. According to PROCOMER, the Czech Republic's foreign trade has surged in the past five years, jumping from $165 billion in 2002 to $291 billion in 2008, a 76 percent increase.

The promotion office said relations with the Czechs could help ease trade with the European Union, which the Czech Republic joined in May 2004.