The Inter‐American Court of Human Rights and Indigenous Rights in Nicaragua: From Land to Empowerment?

Through fieldwork conducted among Mayangna and Miskito indigenous peoples in Nicaragua I examine the capacity of the judgments of the Inter‐American Court of Human Rights to build political agency. I observe that Miskito and Mayangna communities struggle to advance their agenda, as they remain entangled in inter‐ethnic resentments and a culture of corruption. I conclude that the language of rights promoted by the Court and embraced by the communities is insufficient to politicise the right to indigenous land effectively as long as that demand does not align with the interests of other political groups in Nicaragua.