Nicaragua has formally left the Organization of American States (OAS) after completing a two-year exit process. The Nicaraguan government is celebrating this departure because it believes that it has removed them from an organization tied to the wishes of the United States. However, the United States is considering applying new sanctions against the Ortega regime, while Nicaraguan opposition leaders congratulated Javier Milei on his electoral victory in Argentina.

Nicaragua’s Foreign Minister Denis Moncada stated that Nicaragua has ceased to be a member of the OAS because it perceived the OAS as an “interference” organization, tied to the United States. The Nicaraguan government decided two years ago to withdraw from the OAS due to concerns about the organization’s performance during the 2018 crisis, when anti-government protests resulted in about 300 deaths according to human rights organizations.

The OAS issued a statement urging Nicaragua to “respect all human rights.” Human Rights Watch also warned that Nicaragua’s decision to leave the OAS does not absolve them from their human rights obligations. Several exiled Nicaraguan opposition leaders congratulated La Libertad Avanza candidate Javier Milei on his victory in Argentina’s presidential elections, expressing their hope that Argentines can finally find “the path of development.”

The US ambassador to the OAS, Francisco Mora, said that Washington is considering applying new “political and economic” sanctions on the Nicaraguan regime to force them to fulfill their commitments regarding human rights and democracy. Mora emphasized that Washington intends to continue putting pressure on the Nicaraguan government without negatively affecting its population.