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President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua and his wife, who is co-president, have been arresting longtime loyalists, in an apparent quest to ensure no one outside the family rises to power.
Frances Robles has been covering Nicaragua for more than two decades.
Sept. 20, 2025, 5:00 a.m. ET
They fought side by side in Nicaragua with Daniel Ortega in the 1970s, back when the Sandinistas were rebels trying to topple a brutal dictatorship that had ruled the country for more than four decades.
Many joined Mr. Ortega when he first became president, running the country in the 80s, and again when he took office a second time nearly 20 years ago.
But now many of these loyal trusted associates who remained close to Mr. Ortega for decades find themselves accused of crimes — and in jail or under house arrest.
From members of the original ruling Sandinista Party national directorate to high-ranking military officers and even a family member, Mr. Ortega and his co-president and wife, Rosario Murillo, are purging even the closest of former friends and allies.
In a country already known for widespread arbitrary arrests and a lack of political freedom, the detentions of longtime Sandinista partisans mark a remarkable escalation of an offensive against anyone who might challenge the ruling couple’s authority.
But the dismantling of the leftist Sandinista party’s inner circle appears to be not solely the work of Mr. Ortega, but actually driven by Ms. Murillo. She is considered the true power in Nicaragua, and has helped turn the Central American country into one of the most repressive states in Latin America.
