MANAGUA, Sept 22 (Reuters) - A Nicaraguan opposition groupclaimed responsibility on Sunday for "military actions," after aseries of small explosions struck the country, including onethat damaged a bridge leading to Nicaragua's most importantport.
The blasts could mark a turning point in the tactics of theNicaraguan opposition, which have been largely peaceful sinceprotests broke out in the Central American country in early2018.
At about 8 p.m. on Saturday, a blast took place on thebridge to Port Corinto, leaving cracks in its structure,witnesses told Reuters.
The cause of the blast, and who was behind it, could notimmediately be determined. The Nicaraguan government and policeforce did not respond to requests for comment.
In a statement distributed on social media, the NicaraguanPatriotic Alliance (APN), a little-known group opposed toPresident Daniel Ortega, said it executed "a series of actionsof a military nature" on Saturday.
"All these actions are carried out and will continue to becarried out the rest of the months of September, October and themonths to come, until the dictatorship is broken," the groupsaid.
Nicaragua has been gripped by a political crisis sincedemonstrations broke out against the Ortega government in April2018 over planned cuts to welfare benefits.
The demonstrations spread into broader protests againstOrtega, and subsequent clashes between pro-government forces andprotesters have claimed more than 300 lives and promptedthousands of Nicaraguans to go into exile, rights groups say.
Around the time the explosion occurred on the bridge, blastscould also be heard in the capital, Managua, and the nearby cityof Masaya, according to local media reports. No damage wasreported in either of those cities.
The damage to the bridge had been repaired by Sundayafternoon, according to a Reuters witness.
Cesar Acevedo, a member of the local branch of Ortega'sparty, said he also witnessed the explosion on the bridge.
“They (the opposition) are determined to destroy," he said.(Reporting by Ismael Lopez; Writing by Julia Love; Editing byPeter Cooney)