Nicaragua Severs Relations With UN Refugee Agency Amid Rising Tensions

Nicaragua has officially terminated its cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), worsening relationships with the broader international community and jeopardising a safety net for tens of thousands of Nicaraguan refugees. In a letter to the UN refugee agency, the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry announced they will no longer cooperate with UNHCR and charged it with intervention in internal affairs, which the agency denies.

What Does It Mean for Nicaraguan Refugees?

The rupture comes at a time when UNHCR is already dealing with huge cuts in its funding. In neighbouring Costa Rica — which has more than 200,000 Nicaraguan refugees and asylum-seekers. UNHCR cut its budget by 41% in early 2025, which forced it to end financial assistance, cease payment on legal services and end job-training programmes. Five local partner organisations also ceased operations. 

With 5.1 million inhabitants, Costa Rica has welcomed more than half of all displaced Nicaraguans around the world. Its response to refugees has received accolades, but local response and capacity reach their limit. Andrés Celis, UNHCR, cautioned that the simultaneity of growing need and diminishing resources has a “devastating human impact”.

Ongoing Repression in Nicaragua:

The unfolding crisis in Nicaragua is farcical and getting worse every day, with daily reports of political persecution and civil rights violations. The most recent international diplomatic fallout illustrates President Daniel Ortega’s growing isolation and the growing campaign against dissent.