Once, they stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, battling a brutal dictatorship throughout the 1970s. These were the Sandinista rebels, dedicated to dismantling a regime that had gripped the nation for over four decades.
Many continued their allegiance when Ortega first took the presidency in the 80s, and remained by his side when he returned to power nearly two decades ago.
Yet, today, these very same loyal companions and trusted associates, who dedicated decades to Ortega’s cause, now find themselves ensnared in a web of accusations, facing imprisonment or house arrest.
From the foundational members of the Sandinista Party’s national directorate to high-ranking military officials and even Ortega’s own family, President Ortega and his co-president wife, Rosario Murillo, are systematically purging even their closest former friends and allies.
In a nation already marked by widespread arbitrary arrests and severe restrictions on political freedoms, the detention of these long-standing Sandinista figures represents a stark escalation. This is a relentless campaign targeting anyone who might dare to challenge the ruling couple’s supreme authority.
Interestingly, this aggressive dismantling of the leftist Sandinista party’s inner circle is not solely Ortega’s initiative; it is widely believed to be orchestrated by Ms. Murillo. Often perceived as the true architect of power in Nicaragua, she has been instrumental in transforming this Central American country into one of Latin America’s most authoritarian states.
Rosario Murillo is widely regarded as the true power in Nicaragua, and she seems determined to maintain that position.
Credit: Inti Ocon/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Over the past year, Ms. Murillo has significantly expanded her influence through controversial constitutional amendments, perceived by many as a brazen power grab. She has also overseen the creation of a new paramilitary force loyal exclusively to the government and systematically dismantled the judiciary, placing the courts firmly under the presidency’s control.
Experts suggest her objective is clear: to eliminate all potential rivals and clear a path for her to eventually become Nicaragua’s unchallenged authoritarian leader.
“They are systematically removing individuals from key positions,” commented Alberto Cortés, a Nicaragua expert at the University of Costa Rica. “The unspoken question among everyone is: Am I next?”
Bayardo Arce, a former guerrilla fighter who transitioned into an economic adviser, was the last surviving member of the original nine Sandinista commanders from the 1980s still by Mr. Ortega’s side. He maintained this loyalty for over five decades, even as many other Sandinista leaders abandoned the party, often citing corruption and authoritarian tendencies within its leadership. Many of these defectors have since been arrested or forced into exile.
Now, even this last stalwart has fallen.
Mr. Arce, aged 76, was apprehended in July after prosecutors alleged he failed to respond to a summons for questioning regarding purported irregularities with properties he owns. For years, Arce has been a contentious figure, known for accumulating significant wealth while publicly endorsing leftist ideologies and occupying ambiguous government roles.
His unexpected arrest this summer, according to experts, undeniably demonstrates that no one in Nicaragua is beyond the presidential couple’s reach in their relentless pursuit to consolidate an already iron-fisted grip on power.
His downfall, they assert, was almost certainly ordered by Ms. Murillo. After diligently serving for years as a relentlessly hardworking first lady, she ascended to vice president in 2017, and then, earlier this year, took on the newly created role of “co-president.”
With Mr. Ortega nearing 80, analysts believe his 74-year-old wife is obsessively determined to neutralize any potential rivals.
Ms. Murillo did not respond to requests for comment.
A government billboard displaying President Daniel Ortega and Ms. Murillo, his wife and co-president.
Credit: Meridith Kohut for The New York Times
Nestor Moncada Lau, a national security adviser implicated in the violent suppression of 2018 protests, has been held at the national penitentiary since August 16th. His detention followed questioning about a property confiscation, as reported by Confidencial, a Nicaraguan newspaper operating from Costa Rica.
In May, retired Brigadier General Álvaro Baltodano Cantarero received a 20-year prison sentence for treason, with orders for his assets to be seized. Henry Ruiz, another of the original nine Sandinista commanders, was placed under house arrest in March, though no public charges were announced.
Mr. Ortega’s brother, Humberto Ortega, who once commanded the army during the Sandinistas’ initial period of rule, passed away in September following four months under house arrest. His detention came after he publicly denounced his brother as a dictator.
Lenin Cerna, a former colonel and formidable head of the state security agency in the 1980s, was also reportedly arrested. However, previous rumors of his detention had proven false, according to Nicaraguan media.
“While purges are not new, the targeting of such extremely prominent loyalists is a novel development,” observed Karen Kampwirth, a political science professor at Knox College in Illinois, currently writing a biography of Ms. Murillo. “I believe her strategy stems from a realization that she lacks legitimacy among the ‘historic’ Sandinistas – those who emerged from the guerrilla struggle.”
This campaign, experts suggest, appears aimed at any former guerrilla fighter who commands respect among armed forces leaders and other long-standing party members.
Ms. Murillo fears that as long as figures like Mr. Arce remain influential, veteran party members in the military might rally behind them after Mr. Ortega’s eventual demise, Ms. Kampwirth explained.
Nicaraguans protesting against the Ortega government in Managua in 2015.
Credit: Meridith Kohut for The New York Times
“A faction within the military could potentially unite behind such individuals,” she noted. “But no one is going to unite behind her.”
Mr. Cortés, from the University of Costa Rica, speculates whether Ms. Murillo’s calculated moves might backfire, potentially prompting military loyalists to turn against her.
Ms. Murillo and Mr. Ortega’s paths crossed in the 1970s, amidst the Sandinista rebels’ armed struggle to overthrow the Somozas – a right-wing dynastic dictatorship that had controlled Nicaragua for over four decades.
Despite their decades-long partnership and her crucial role in managing safe houses during their period of hiding, Ms. Murillo never held a formal rebel leadership position and is generally not regarded as a significant revolutionary figure.
Nevertheless, upon Mr. Ortega’s return to office in 2007, she rapidly became the undisputed power behind his presidency. Her tireless work ethic and deep involvement in every minor detail – from serving as government spokeswoman to personally distributing land titles to the impoverished – often created tension with veteran party leaders who maintained their primary loyalty to Mr. Ortega.
Throughout their nearly two decades in power, the couple has been accused not only of eliminating political opponents but also of systematically rigging elections and seizing control of both the national assembly and the Supreme Court.
“She understands that she doesn’t possess Daniel’s inherent political strength to maintain power,” stated Dora María Téllez, a former Sandinista health minister who broke from the party decades ago, was imprisoned in 2021, and now resides in exile in Spain.
With the traditional separation of powers effectively dismantled, all branches of government now report directly to Ms. Murillo, Ms. Téllez explained. She championed the constitutional changes that established the “co-president” position. Notably, despite holding this title since January, a vice president has yet to be named to succeed her former role.
As Mr. Ortega approaches 80, experts believe his 74-year-old wife is driven by an obsessive determination to remove any perceived rivals.
One of the couple’s sons, Laureano, is widely seen as being groomed for succession. An opera singer, he serves as an adviser on international investments and plays a pivotal role in Nicaragua’s diplomatic ties with China, Russia, and Iran.
Yet, even Laureano has not been appointed to the vacant vice presidency, a detail experts highlight as further evidence of Ms. Murillo’s singular ambition to be the sole individual positioned to inherit her husband’s authority.
Experts suggest Ms. Murillo’s intense focus on the succession question coincides with persistent rumors about Mr. Ortega’s declining health. In his infrequent public appearances over recent months, he has noticeably appeared diminished, according to Ms. Téllez.
The arrests of so many of his closest allies while he is still alive imply that Mr. Ortega has either tacitly approved these actions or has lost the capacity to shield his inner circle, she concluded.
Ms. Murillo has diligently cultivated her own base of support among younger members of the ruling party, officially known as the Sandinista National Liberation Front, or F.S.L.N.
“This situation clearly demonstrates that no one within the F.S.L.N. is truly untouchable,” remarked Kai Thaler, a global studies professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. “It also unequivocally shows that long-standing loyalty to the party, and to Daniel, will no longer guarantee your protection.”