Juan Sebastián Chamorro warns that 'things are getting worse' for the dictatorship after the blow to the gold business
The economist warns that the theft of an $80 million US investment and its handover to Chinese operators has triggered a hardening of Washington's stance that will bring greater consequences for the inner circle of power in El Carmen.
TL;DR
- The U.S. Treasury's recent financial sanctions against the Ortega-Murillo family and the gold sector are seen by the Nicaraguan opposition as the start of greater economic confrontation.
- Opposition leader Juan Sebastián Chamorro stated that the sanctions should signal to those still supporting the dictatorship that 'things are getting worse'.
- The sanctions are viewed as part of a pressure strategy responding to the regime's increasing confiscations, including the seizure of a U.S.-British mining firm's processing plant.
- The confiscated mining plant, valued at approximately $80 million, was seized in September 2025 and reportedly transferred to a Chinese businessman.
- Environmental organizations report that the dictatorship has granted concessions covering over a million hectares to 17 Chinese companies between 2021 and 2026.