<p>The crisis in Nicaragua is only escalating. Over the weekend, eight people were left dead as the protests against President Daniel Ortega&#8217;s government continue to rage on. ;</p>
<p>&#8220;Loud bursts of assault rifles were heard on Saturday morning, apparently emanating from makeshift roadblocks near a university campus, according to a <em>Reuters</em> news agency reporter in Managua, Nicaragua&#8217;s capital and the epicenter of protests since mid-April,&#8221; writes <em>Aljazeera.</em> &#8220;The violence flared hours after Ortega and civic leaders agreed on Friday to cease hostilities, remove roadblocks and allow for a foreign inquiry into the country&#8217;s bloodiest confrontations since a civil war ended in 1990.&#8221;</p>
<p>A building near the university caught on fire after the owner refused to let government soldiers access it. ;</p>
<p>&#8220;This is a massacre. A barbarity. These police surrounded the house and burned it after my nephew refused to let them put snipers on the roof,&#8221; said Jose Maria Hernandez, the uncle of the building&#8217;s owner. ;</p>
<p>Six people, including two children, died in the fire. ;</p>
<p>In the last few months of political unrest, there have been at least 170 deaths in Nicaragua. ;</p>
<p>In the city of Masaya, the streets have been deserted and the police station remains the only government stronghold. Food and resources are now scarce. ;</p>
<p>Ortega has lost control of most of the country. ;</p>
<p>There are over 120 barricades on the city&#8217;s main road, where rebels are searching vehicles and trucks to make sure the government isn&#8217;t transporting weapons. ;</p>
<p>In 2016, Ortega &#8220;won&#8221; the presidency for his third term in a landslide of a victory. He has managed to get control of the Supreme Court, the National Assembly, and the electoral commission. ;</p>
<p>He has suppressed any political opposition and refuses to step down. ;</p>
<p>&#8220;Talks between the government and a coalition of students and business groups to find a peaceful solution resumed Friday a day after a 24-hour strike paralyzed Nicaragua&rsquo;s economy. But hopes of a quick resolution faded as Mr. Ortega&rsquo;s representatives rejected a proposal to invite international observers to the country,&#8221; writes the <em>Wall Street Journal.</em> &#8220;The impasse could set the stage for a long conflict, some analysts say. Mr. Ortega has said he will consider a proposal by the Catholic Church to call early elections for March 2019, but he rejects demands he step down. Most cities are in open rebellion, including Granada, a quaint colonial city favored by U.S. tourists where the city hall was burned down, and Leó;n, the country&rsquo;s second largest city.&#8221;</p>
<p>Ortega led a movement in the 1870&#8217;s against the former President/Dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle and later was elected president in 1984. ;</p>
<p>As a Marxist&ndash;Leninist, he has implemented controversial socialist policies like wealth redistribution and land reform. He has made alliances with other Latin American socialists, like the former Venezuelan President Hugo Chá;vez.</p>
<p>Now, the majority of citizens believe he has lost his revolutionary roots and that he has also become a dictator that caters to capitalist interests. ;</p>
<p>The protests started after Ortega decreased pension benefits in April and have quickly turned violent after Ortega&#8217;s aggressive approach to handling the protesters. ;</p>
<p><strong>Author&#8217;s note:</strong> This is yet another cautionary tale proving that socialism never works. Since it&#8217;s a small country, the crisis isn&#8217;t being covered as much. Could Nicaragua be on the brink of collapse like Venezuela?</p>