Brazil expels Nicaraguan ambassador in retaliatory move

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's government Thursday kicked out Nicaragua's ambassador to the nation in retaliation for a similar move by the Central American country's President Daniel Ortega.

The press office of Brazil's foreign ministry confirmed to The Associated Press that it had decided to expel Nicaraguan ambassador Fulvia Patricia Castro Matu. It said Brazil's ambassador to Nicaragua, Breno da Costa, was expelled Monday.

The office said da Costa was kicked out for failing to attend the 45th anniversary celebrations of Nicaragua's Sandinista revolution. Ortega, whose critics see him as an authoritarian leader, was a guerrilla fighter in that movement.

An ongoing rift between Ortega and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, two former allies, has grown over the last year.

A diplomatic source in Brasilia told the AP that Nicaragua’s government protested two weeks ago against da Costa’s absence from the festivities opening the way to kick him out. The source, who spoke under condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the matter publicly, added that the Brazilian ambassador was following orders from the foreign ministry.

The foreign ministry hadn't previously confirmed local media reports of the Brazilian ambassador's expulsion.

The divisions between Ortega and the Brazilian president Lula, two former allies, have grown over the last year, with Brazil freezing relations with the Central American country. That means no visits or meetings between leaders and diplomats of the two countries.

Lula, who previously supported Ortega's presidency, steered away from Ortega after the Nicaraguan leader ignored a request from Pope Francis to stop repression against Catholic clergymen in the Central American nation.

Leticia Bessa, an administrative assistant at the Nicaraguan embassy in Brazil's capital, said Matu left the country before Brazil's foreign ministry finalized its decision.

Nicaragua's Vice President Rosario Murillo, who is also first lady and the government’s main spokesperson, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about the diplomatic spat.

During a press conference with international news agencies in Brasilia on July 22, Lula told reporters that Ortega was not answering his phone calls.

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Associated Press writer Gabriela Sá Pessoa contributed to this report from Sao Paulo.