PEOPLE OF LEÓN AND CHINANDEGA’S COMPLAINT REGARDING THE OPERATIONS OF NICARAGUA SUGAR ESTATES LIMITED S.A. INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORPORATION PROJECT 25331

The document details a formal complaint against the IFC regarding its financing of Nicaragua Sugar Estates Limited, S.A. (NSEL). Complainants allege that NSEL's operations have caused a Chronic Renal Insufficiency (CRI) epidemic among workers, contaminated water supplies, and violated indigenous Sutiaba land rights. The complaint asserts that the IFC failed in its due diligence, miscategorized the project as Category B instead of Category A, and ignored NSEL's history of environmental and labor violations.

• There is a significant epidemic of Chronic Renal Insufficiency (CRI) among NSEL sugarcane workers and nearby community members, with estimates suggesting 1,000 affected workers in Chinandega alone.
• NSEL is accused of interfering with the formation of independent labor unions and retaliating against workers who attempted to organize, including firing organizers and pursuing false criminal charges.
• The IFC is alleged to have miscategorized Project 25331 as a Category B project, whereas the complainants argue it should be Category A due to the diverse and irreversible nature of its social and environmental impacts.
• NSEL's operations have reportedly caused severe environmental degradation, including the depletion of groundwater for irrigation, contamination of drinking water with pesticides, and air pollution from sugarcane burning.
• The complaint asserts that NSEL has violated the rights of the indigenous Sutiaba people in the communities of Abangasca and Goyena through land leasing and environmental contamination, without conducting free, prior, and informed consultation.
• The IFC allegedly failed to ensure the local disclosure of the Social and Environmental Assessment (SEA), as the mayor's office in Chichigalpa denied having any such documents despite IFC claims to the contrary.
• NSEL is accused of employing children as young as 15 or younger in dangerous field work involving exposure to intense heat and pesticides.
• The IFC is criticized for failing to conduct adequate due diligence on NSEL's track record, ignoring existing administrative orders from the Nicaraguan Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (MARENA) and public protests.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2008). PEOPLE OF LEÓN AND CHINANDEGA’S COMPLAINT REGARDING THE OPERATIONS OF NICARAGUA SUGAR ESTATES LIMITED S.A. INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORPORATION PROJECT 25331. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/NSEL_Complaint_31Mar08.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. PEOPLE OF LEÓN AND CHINANDEGA’S COMPLAINT REGARDING THE OPERATIONS OF NICARAGUA SUGAR ESTATES LIMITED S.A. INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORPORATION PROJECT 25331. 2008. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/NSEL_Complaint_31Mar08.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=PEOPLE OF LEÓN AND CHINANDEGA’S COMPLAINT REGARDING THE OPERATIONS OF NICARAGUA SUGAR ESTATES LIMITED S.A. INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORPORATION PROJECT 25331 |date=31 March 2008 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/NSEL_Complaint_31Mar08.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2008people, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{PEOPLE OF LEÓN AND CHINANDEGA’S COMPLAINT REGARDING THE OPERATIONS OF NICARAGUA SUGAR ESTATES LIMITED S.A. INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORPORATION PROJECT 25331}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2008}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/NSEL_Complaint_31Mar08.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }