Weekly Report - 17 May 2007

Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo officially began his work this week as head of the truth, justice, reconciliation and peace commission, a parastate body created by President Daniel Ortega to provide assistance to some 300,000 victims of the civil war in the 1980s. This includes between 15,000 and 20,000 wounded ex-servicemen and counter-revolutionaries, who received little assistance from previous governments. On 15 May Obando held his first meeting with demobilised combatants.