There was no lavish celebration at the Sandinista Front Secretariat to mark the 19th anniversary of the Daniel Ortega–Rosario Murillo dictatorship, as many had expected. Sources within the ruling party acknowledged that everything changed after U.S. Delta Forces captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in the early hours of January 3.
The immediate reaction to the dramatic operation was silence for 14 hours. Beyond a brief statement, the regime has refrained from the aggressive rhetoric of the past. Murillo, for example, devoted her Tuesday address to discussing state programs and commemorating poet Rubén Darío, whose birthday anniversary falls on January 18.
She did announce, however, that her sons — “comrades” Maurice and Daniel (Edmundo) — would appear today (Wednesday) at 10:00 a.m. at the launch of the construction project for the General Juan Gregorio Colindres Football Stadium in the northern city of Jalapa.
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Murillo made no mention of Venezuela on January 6, 7, 8, 9, or 12. She did speak out on January 5, when she demanded respect for the lives of “Nicolás and Cilia, beloved brothers who were kidnapped and illegally transferred to the United States.”
Murillo’s Decisions
Sources say Murillo has made decisions aimed at ensuring the clan’s “survival.” The first has been to minimize Daniel Ortega’s public exposure. Many Sandinista militants had expected a public event on January 10 — the anniversary of the family dictatorship — where Ortega would once again rail against the “Yankees.” No such event was even announced.
Ortega, now 80, has long been the subject of rumors about deteriorating health. His former right-hand man at the Supreme Court, Rafael Solís, told LA PRENSA that Ortega’s health was precisely one of the reasons cited when the celebration was canceled.
Solís publicly urged Ortega and Murillo to step aside to allow for constitutional reform and a democratic transition. Ortega’s most recent public appearance was on December 14, during the 25th ALBA-TCP Summit.
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Alongside the decision to shield Ortega, Murillo also chose to “ease off the gas” on public appearances by her son Laureano Ortega Murillo, the regime’s liaison with anti-U.S. powers China, Russia, and Iran. The aim is to avoid provoking tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump, especially after rhetoric about a new world order and the “end of the global dictatorship of the dollar.”
According to monitoring of state-run media conducted by LA PRENSA, the dictators’ son had his first official activity of the year on January 14: the inauguration of L&L Contemporary Exterior, a Chinese company that will manufacture and market «galvanized and aluminized sheets with high-quality thermal insulation and PVC roofing tiles.» In his speech, he mentioned Nicaragua’s role as the «center of operations» for the company’s products to be offered throughout Central America.
In recent months, he made five appearances in October, three in November, and four in December. One of his last public appearances in 2025 was accompanying his parents during celebrations of the Immaculate Conception, when the family traditionally holds a private gathering and updates the official family photograph.
Security Handed to Fidel Moreno
“When the first news of Maduro’s capture reached El Carmen [the family residence] in the early hours of January 3, Rosario Murillo went into ‘shock,’” the same sources said. Those close to her at the time recount that she was gripped by fear — not because she believed the United States would invade Nicaragua, but because she understands the country is too small, marginal, and strategically insignificant to justify a military operation.
Amid the crisis, Murillo reportedly turned to pragmatic figures to help manage the risk. She entrusted “internal security” to Fidel Moreno, the FSLN’s organization secretary, who controls the party’s territorial network, the Sandinista Youth, and paramilitary groups. Also assigned to this task was Police “co-director” First Commissioner Juan Victoriano Ruiz, appointed in August 2025.
This mission is of paramount importance to Murillo, who from the outset was convinced that what happened in Caracas could only have been made possible by betrayal from within Maduro’s inner circle. Strengthening her own protection, in Murillo’s view, had to be complemented by parallel efforts in diplomacy and the legal arena.
The Diplomatic Move Through Denis Moncada
Even before Maduro’s capture, “co–foreign minister” Denis Moncada had already been dispatched to Washington to seek ways to avert harsher sanctions on the regime. As LA PRENSA reported in December, the move responded not only to the Trump administration’s military mobilization in the Caribbean, but also to efforts to soften potential trade measures by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative against Nicaragua.
One of the issues Washington is pressing is the return of properties belonging to U.S. citizens. Murillo ordered confiscations overseen by Attorney General Wendy Morales, who has accumulated multiple responsibilities, effectively becoming a kind of “super minister.”
“Moncada represents a clearly pragmatic line and is quietly conducting contacts with U.S. officials pressing for the release of political prisoners and the restitution of confiscated property,” sources said. “As part of this strategy, there has already been a limited and controlled release of some political prisoners.”
Preparatory steps have also been taken regarding confiscated properties. Morales sent representatives of the Attorney General’s Office to the provinces to “clean up” records of previously seized assets.
Reactions Among Ortega’s Children to the Maduro Case
Internal tension over Maduro’s detention extends to the upper ranks of the ruling party, but it begins within the Ortega Murillo family itself. Sources said the children — especially the daughters — were shaken by images of Maduro dressed in orange when he appeared before a judge in New York and fear Trump could take action against their parents.
“They are being told to tone things down,” the sources said. Senior figures in the Army command, led by General Julio César Avilés, are also reportedly taking steps amid the crisis and have urged moderation.
The release of 20 political prisoners, announced by the regime in the context of the dictatorship’s anniversary, is widely seen as a signal to Washington that dialogue is possible.
This assessment aligns with analysts recently interviewed by LA PRENSA, who said the dictatorship is attempting to buy time ahead of November, when U.S. midterm legislative elections will serve as an indirect referendum on Republican President Donald Trump’s administration.
Meanwhile, security structures close to the dictators are “monitoring” three key issues: whether Maduro directly mentions Ortega in New York, the implications of U.S. security policy aimed at pushing Russia and China out of Washington’s sphere of influence, and how the situation in Cuba evolves amid a severe social crisis — so grave that Trump has claimed the regime is on the verge of collapse.
“There is also a growing conviction, made tangible by Maduro’s capture, that they cannot count on Russia or China. The Ortega Murillo family feels orphaned. The internal crisis is therefore severe,” another source said on condition of anonymity.
