US ambassador flees protesters angered by criticism of Nicaraguan leader’s re-election bid

Nicaragua protesters chase off US ambassador

MANAGUA, Nicaragua — Demonstrators hurling fireworks chased the U.S. ambassador from a university fair on Friday because of his criticism of a Supreme Court ruling letting President Daniel Ortega seek another term.

Robert J. Callahan, who was unharmed, was met by demonstrators wearing the red and black of Ortega’s Sandinista party. Riot police and bodyguards hustled him back into his car and he quickly left.

Some of the protesters fired skyrockets from metal tubes.

Callahan and the U.S. Embassy have come under fire after the ambassador weighed in on last week’s decision that overturned Nicaragua’s single-term limits. Callahan said the change, requested by Ortega, was “improper.”

Sandinista leaders have responded by calling for Callahan’s ouster.