Q COSTARICA — Journalist Emiliano Chamorro asserted on his social media account that representatives of the United States had delivered a direct warning to Nicaragua’s co-presidents, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, to relinquish power.
According to Chamorro, as reported by Nicaragua’s digital media, 100% Noticias, the notification was delivered in a “friendly” tone, but with a clear message that their continued rule is no longer sustainable.
“The warning has arrived for the dictators, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo: they must leave power,” Chamorro wrote in his post.
In the same message, Chamorro added that “the Sandinista dictators, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, have already been amicably notified that they must relinquish power, and if they decide to leave the country they have attacked and even offered to the Chinese, all the better. The warning is real and also a friendly call to heed it peacefully, reminding them that if they don’t, they could suffer the same fate as their partner, the dictator Nicolás Maduro,” the journalist revealed.
“Ortega has apparently said he will die with his boots on; we’ll see what decision the aging dictators of Nicaragua will make,” the post concludes.
A source told 100% Noticias that there were discreet contacts between Nicaraguan officials in the United States: “I have confirmation that there are contacts at a very low diplomatic level, between Foreign Minister Denis Moncada, chargé d’affaires at the Nicaraguan embassy in the US.”
“Daniel Ortega is playing the same old game of elusiveness. He shows signs of yielding, but deep down, he won’t. He wants to make it to November 2026, and Donald Trump is well aware of Ortega’s strategy,” shared the informant from diplomatic circles.
The informant added, “Trump doesn’t want to reach November with the situation in Venezuela still unresolved, because Cuba and Nicaragua are watching that example. The Nicaraguan regime is a prime target for action, even before November.”
“Ortega and Murillo are betting on reaching November, when they expect the balance of power in the (U.S.) Senate to shift and allow them to survive beyond 2026. They could also aim for a soft landing, managing the transition themselves, holding elections in 2027, hoping the storm will subside,” the source shared. See more
According to the informant, the Nicaraguan Army’s top brass is doubtful that a delaying tactic will work: “The army isn’t happy with these games,” the source concluded on 100% Noticias.
US confirms “diplomatic discussions” with the regime
This week, a State Department official consulted by 100% Noticias confirmed “diplomatic discussions” with the regime, which “is not standard practice to comment on.”
The alleged warning from the United States to Ortega comes in the context of the partial release of political prisoners and the demand for “progress” on practices considered harmful by Chargé d’Affaires Elías Baumann, who spoke with Nicaraguan business leaders this week.
“As I’ve learned more about Nicaragua, Nicaraguan and American business owners have shared with me the challenges they face every day. Many of these same concerns were highlighted in the U.S. government’s investigation report on Nicaragua’s trade practices and policies. As announced in December, the Nicaraguan government must show progress in resolving these issues. Innovation flourishes when there is freedom of expression, academic freedom, and independent institutions that allow people to think, create, and dream,” said the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Managua.