Nicaragua’s communist dictator Daniel Ortega ordered the house arrest of his younger brother, Humberto Ortega, on Tuesday after the younger Ortega questioned how the Sandinista regime would survive without Daniel.
Humberto Ortega, 77, is a retired military official who accompanied his brother during the Sandinista revolution and served as a crucial military figure, aiding Daniel Ortega in ruling Nicaragua during the 1980s. He issued his remarks on Sunday in an interview with the Argentine news outlet Infobae.
Infobae published an interview with the younger Ortega in which he described his relationship with his brother as “complicated.” Daniel Ortega has accused his brother of being a “traitor” and an “instrument of the United States.”
Humberto Ortega, who describes himself as a “humanist centrist,” claimed he does not hold an antagonistic stance against his brother or the Nicaraguan opposition but has “conflicting views” with both sides.
Humberto Ortega answered questions on the Ortega Regime’s anti-U.S., pro-Russia, and pro-China stances, his personal health issues and medical conditions, and other topics. In one part of the interview, he questioned the continuity of the Ortega Regime in the event of his 78-year-old brother’s death.
The younger Ortega expressed doubts that either Daniel Ortega’s wife — Vice President Rosario Murillo — or son — Laureano Ortega Murillo — would be capable of succeeding Daniel Ortega and leading his communist regime once he dies.
“Without Daniel, there is no one because, all in all, Daniel is the only leader, historically, who still retains the credits of that struggle,” Humberto Ortega told Infobae. “Without Daniel, I see it very difficult for two or three to get together, much less one in particular, and more difficult in the family.”
“With the absence of Daniel, it would be very fragile to sustain everything that, until now, he has managed to sustain with great effort and with enormous complexities,” he continued. “Not only internally but also with the allied forces of the left and the governments of the region. The only one they know is Daniel.”
Humberto Ortega asserted that if the political forces in Nicaragua do not enter into a negotiation soon, the country is “headed for disaster,” and he claimed that, in a hypothetical scenario in which Daniel Ortega is suddenly absent, there would be an “impossibility” for the ruling Sandinistas to consolidate power again.
“The Sandinista institutions in the government or the party would not have, in my opinion, the capacity to fill that vacuum,” he said. “The only thing that can solve that vacuum, and that there is not anarchy and chaos in the country, is the Army.”
“In the first place, the Army, coordinated with the National Police. And look for a way out in the short term, maybe a year or less, to call for an electoral process,” Humberto Ortega said.
Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa reported on Tuesday that, following Sunday’s Infobae interview, police officers surrounded Humberto Ortega’s residence and placed the dictator’s brother under house arrest.
Humberto Ortega, through third-party acquaintances, confirmed to La Prensa that his mobile phone and computer devices were seized by the Nicaraguan Police.
The Nicaraguan Police issued a statement on Tuesday claiming that, together with the Health Ministry, it had installed a “specialized medical attention unit” to “take care” of Humberto Ortega, who “will be in permanent communication, coordination, and visits” of local medical staff.
“A medical team made up of [Health Ministry] specialists and private family doctors has visited and assessed today the health condition of retired general Humberto Ortega Saavedra at his home,” the police’s statement read.
A medical source with knowledge of Humberto Ortega’s medical condition told La Prensa that the dictator’s brother suffers from heart failure, kidney disease, prostate problems, diabetes, and other problems. Additionally, Humberto Ortega has received a pacemaker and two stents due to his heart condition.
Humberto Ortega claimed to Infobae on Sunday that he takes care of his medical conditions in the Vivian Pellas hospital, a private healthcare facility located in Managua.
La Prensa stated that Humberto Ortega had to present himself at the offices of the Nicaraguan police in Managua on Monday, where he was interviewed by Horacio Rocha, who serves as Daniel Ortega’s adviser in security matters and who leads the dictator’s institutional purges against dissidents of his ruling communist regime.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.