Exiled Nicaraguan Officer Roberto Samcam Killed in Costa Rica

Roberto Samcam, a retired Nicaraguan military officer and outspoken critic of President Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo's government, was murdered in exile in Costa Rica. The 66-year-old, who opposed the 2018 crackdown on protesters and authored a critical book about Ortega, was shot multiple times in his apartment near San Jose by an assailant disguised as a delivery driver on a motorcycle. His killing has been widely condemned by human rights advocates, former officials, and exiled Nicaraguan voices, who view it as a politically motivated act of repression linked to his efforts to expose abuses by the Nicaraguan regime. Costa Rican authorities have launched an investigation, but neither the Nicaraguan government nor Costa Rican national police have issued official comments. The U.S. State Department expressed shock and offered assistance to hold the perpetrators accountable. This incident underscores ongoing tensions and violence targeting dissidents of the Ortega administration even beyond Nicaragua's borders.