Nicaragua has formally severed all relations with Ecuador, escalating the diplomatic fallout over a police raid in Quito to arrest a politician who was taking refuge at the Mexican embassy.
The Nicaraguan government announced its decision on Saturday, declaring its “forceful, emphatic and irrevocable rejection” of the storming of Mexico’s diplomatic outpost in Quito. The assault ended a months-long standoff over the Mexican embassy’s sheltering of former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas, who is facing corruption charges.
“Given the unusual and reprehensible action in Quito by forces that are supposed to protect the order and safety of Ecuadorian citizens and their lives … we declare our sovereign decision to sever all diplomatic relations with the government of Ecuador,” Nicaraguan authorities said in a statement. They added that Nicaragua’s government condemns “the neo-fascist political barbarism of the government of Ecuador, whose admirable people deserve, as always, all our love, support and solidarity.”