As tensions heighten for Nicaraguans seeking refuge, the recent assassination of retired Army major Roberto Samcam Ruiz in Costa Rica has set off alarm bells. Samcam, a vocal critic of the Sandinista government, had taken extensive security precautions after fleeing Nicaragua due to threats against his life. Living in San José, he was careful about his movements, even changing clothing to evade potential enemies.
Tragically, these measures could not save him. On June 19, two assailants, having stalked him for weeks, stormed his home in the capital and fatally shot him multiple times. The brutality of this attack marks another dark chapter in a disturbing pattern; Samcam is reported to be at least the sixth Nicaraguan dissident to face violence in Costa Rica since mass protests erupted in Nicaragua in 2018, prompting a wave of exiles.
Relatives and fellow activists express mounting anxiety that the Ortega administration is extending its oppressive tactics beyond Nicaraguan borders to eliminate opposition. They fear that the killing of someone like Samcam signals a message of intimidation to all dissenters, reinforcing a chilling atmosphere of insecurity for those who have already fled their homeland seeking safety and freedom.
