Mother Teresa's nuns expelled from Nicaragua, cross border to Costa Rica
Nuns from Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity were driven to Nicaragua's border with Costa Rica on Wednesday after lawmakers linked to President Daniel Ortega expelled the group and shut down their local branches in the country.
According to local reports, the nuns were escorted by police and immigration officials to the border.
Over ten nuns arrived at the land border checkpoint of Penas Blancas transported by van to get across to neighbouring Costa Rica on foot.
Images shared by Father Sunil Kumar Andugula, who accompanied them, show the nuns inside Costa Rica’s migration office.
The Missionaries of Charity, which works with impoverished communities, had been operating in Nicaragua for over 34 years.
In April, Nicaragua's parliament, controlled by Ortega allies, shut down non-governmental organizations, many of which had openly criticised the government. Lawmakers argued the NGOs had violated Nicaraguan laws.
The move was the latest in a spate of closures under the government of President Daniel Ortega that the opposition has said is an attack on civil society.