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A “Fifth Column” is Quietly Operating in Nicaragua

An underground current seeps through the country. Thousands of citizens are suspect in the eyes of the ruling powers, driving them to desperation.

By Julio Lopez Campos (Confidencial)

HAVANA TIMES – Historically, the term “fifth column” is attributed to a Spanish general during the Spanish Civil War. He was preparing to attack Madrid—then under Republican control—with four armed columns. The general surprised everyone by stating that the most important and decisive force would be the “fifth column” – secret forces that would operate from within the city.

In today’s Nicaragua, there is neither a “Republic” nor a civil war. Nor are there armed columns—military or civilian—inside or outside the country. No one is preparing, for now, to take [the presidential bunker of]  El Carmen. And no one desires the deployment of armed forces, much less the Trump fantasies with which some irresponsibly speculate. However, it is indeed essential that an internal force be promoted and made visible to contribute “from within” to the progressive undermining of the pillars that sustain the dictatorship and stimulate its eventual collapse.

In this brief article, we will limit ourselves to giving substance to what we will call the conduct and behavior “from within”: its inclusive character; its possible components; and its forms of action. I start from a basic premise: the dictatorship will not fall like a ripe mango, as in the case of Maduro, nor is there a set date for its fall. Rather, it is a matter of impelling and channeling a complex and protracted process. For the sake of brevity, I will omit here a detailed analysis of the mechanisms through which the regime has captured and subjugated the Nicaraguan state and society.

I’m talking about citizens who initially operate without any organic connection to one another. Thousands of lone wolves, convinced, however, that others are doing—or will do—the same. That lack of visible coordination, which might seem like a weakness, ultimately becomes a significant force in the current context. It is the sign of a silent insurrection of conscience, an underground current sweeping across the country and casting a shadow of suspicion over countless citizens in the eyes of those in power.

Such a current can drive the insecure conscience of........

© Havana Times