The retired general of the Nicaraguan Army Humberto Ortega, brother of President Daniel Ortega, is in a serious state of health, the Government of Managua reported this Monday.
The retired general, who was head of the Armed Forces from its foundation, in 1979, until 1995, was visited at his residence, in Managua, by the Nicaraguan president on the night of December 23, the Sandinista government indicated in a statement public.
The Nicaraguan Executive reported on the state of health of Humberto Ortega after a video was published on social networks in which the caravan of vehicles from the Presidency of the Republic is observed entering the housing complex of the retired general.
“Commander Daniel, our president, in a humanist, fraternal and supportive spirit, visited retired General Humberto Ortega Saavedra at his home, who has suffered very serious health problems, with consequent weaknesses and acute collateral illnesses,” the Government explained further. one week later.
Humberto Ortega has been critical of his older brother regarding the handling of the sociopolitical crisis that Nicaragua is experiencing since April 2018, and that year he asked him in a public letter, without success, to order “immediately to dispose of all the power of order of the State and Government, to deactivate the parapolice forces and any other illegal.”
In addition, in 2018, the retired general positioned himself in favor of bringing forward the 202 elections.
Daniel insults his brother
The last time Humberto criticized Daniel in public was after his death. of the historic Sandinista combatant Hugo Torres, who died in police custody in February 2022 due to an “illness” not yet specified by the authorities.
In a opinion article published in February 2022 in the newspaper La Prensa, Humberto pointed out that Torres’ death was due to the “cruel confinement” to which he was exposed in the cells of El Chipote. In addition, he highlighted the milestones that the retired brigadier general achieved as a guerrilla, including the operation that freed several political prisoners from the Anastasio Somoza dictatorship in 1974, including Daniel Ortega.
President Ortega, 77, has branded his brother, who is about to turn 76, a “traitor” and a “seller” and has accused him of “defending terrorists,” which is how he refers to opponents of his government.
Daniel Ortega accused —in 2018— his younger brother of being a pawn of the “oligarchy” and the “empire”, alluding to big business and the United States. On that occasion, the dictator said that after the electoral defeat of the Sandinistas in 1990, when he also governed, his brother “simply decided to go over to the side of those who had won the elections and become a pawn of the oligarchy and Empire”.
Meeting without political background
In its statement, the Government maintained that “encouraged by blood family ties, Commander Daniel wanted to greet his brother, who is very weak, without any claim or political exchange, who was never the objective of his visit, because in that plan does not exist, nor is it foreseen, any communication”.
“Aware and aware of the serious deterioration and seriousness of his brother’s health, Commander Daniel made the gesture of going personally to express his solidarity,” he added.
Therefore, “the Presidency of the Republic makes it completely clear that any other version of this humanitarian meeting is rude and insolent speculation, senseless manipulation, complete falsehood, and obvious, fraudulent, irresponsible, lamentable, and impossible, lies and deceit.” concluded.
