Nicaragua severs diplomatic ties with Italy over Moro case

Nicaragua severed diplomatic relations with Italy on Thursday, July 16, 2026, following a renewed dispute over a former militant convicted in the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro. The Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry announced the break, citing what it called unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible comments made by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

The diplomatic rupture was triggered by remarks Tajani made on Wednesday at a conference in Madrid, where he criticized Nicaragua for continuing to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a 74-year-old former member of the far-left Red Brigades. Tajani stated that Italy had absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as that of Nicaragua, a country he said still provides protection to dangerous terrorists. In response, Italy's Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its position, stating it would continue to demand that Casimirri answer before Italian justice for the crimes for which he has been convicted.

Casimirri was sentenced in absentia in Italy to six life terms for his role in the Moro case, one of Italy's most notorious political crimes. Moro, a former prime minister and...