SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s government expelled Nicaragua’s ambassador from the country on Thursday in retaliation for a similar action by the Central American country. Chairman Daniel Ortega.
The Brazilian Foreign Ministry’s news agency confirmed to The Associated Press that it had decided to expel Nicaraguan Ambassador Fulvia Patricia Castro Matu. It said Brazil’s ambassador to Nicaragua, Breno da Costa, was expelled on Monday.
The office said da Costa was thrown out because he did not attend the 45th anniversary of the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua. Ortega, whose critics see him as an authoritarian leader, was a guerrilla fighter in that movement.
An ongoing rift between Ortega and the Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvatwo former allies, has grown over the past year.
A diplomatic source in Brasilia told AP that Nicaragua’s government protested da Costa’s absence from the festivities two weeks ago, paving the way for him to be kicked out. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, added that Brazil’s ambassador was following orders from the Foreign Ministry.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not previously confirmed local media reports about the expulsion of the Brazilian ambassador.
The division between Ortega and Brazilian President Lula, two former allies, has grown over the past year, with Brazil freezing ties with the Central American country, meaning no visits or meetings between leaders and diplomats from the two countries.
Lula, who previously supported Ortega’s presidency, distanced himself from Ortega after the Nicaraguan leader ignored a request from Pope Francis to end the repression of Catholic clergy in the Central American country.
Leticia Bessa, an administrative assistant at the Nicaraguan embassy in the Brazilian capital, said Matu left the country before the Brazilian Foreign Ministry had finalized its decision.
Nicaragua’s Vice President Rosario Murillo, who is also the first lady and the government’s main spokesperson, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the diplomatic conflict.
At a press conference with international news agencies in Brasilia on July 22, Lula told reporters that Ortega was not answering his phone calls.
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Associated Press editor Gabriela Sá Pessoa contributed to this report from Sao Paulo.
