The deployment of U.S. military ships in the Caribbean is an attempt to “overthrow Latin American governments,” declared Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega on Tuesday, denouncing the anti-narcotics operation as a “circus.”
U.S. President Donald Trump had ordered a naval force to patrol Caribbean waters near Venezuela’s maritime territory, claiming the move was aimed at combating drug trafficking. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, however, called the deployment a direct “threat” to his country.
“This move by the United States to send warships… it’s meant to intimidate Latin American governments, to intimidate the people, and ultimately to try to overthrow governments,” Ortega said during a speech commemorating the 46th anniversary of Nicaragua’s Army in Managua.
“They have enough means to carry out anti-drug enforcement,” he continued, “but instead they stage this absurd show of threatening the Venezuelan people with warships.” Ortega, speaking in a slow tone, addressed multiple topics for over an hour during the televised event broadcast on state-run media.
That same Tuesday, U.S. forces reportedly fired on a boat carrying drugs from Venezuela, allegedly linked to the Tren de Aragua criminal organization. According to Trump, the attack resulted in the deaths of 11 “drug traffickers.”
“How do they prove these people were traffickers? How do they prove they were carrying drugs to the United States?” Ortega asked. “This is all just a theatrical performance,” he added.
The Nicaraguan president further accused the U.S. of lacking any real capacity to control domestic drug consumption within its own borders.
Ortega, a 79-year-old former guerrilla who has ruled Nicaragua since 2007—and previously during the 1980s—is frequently accused by critics and human rights organizations of running a “family dictatorship” alongside Rosario Murillo, 74, whom he named co-president through a constitutional reform in February.
In recent months, Ortega has appeared in public events visibly frail, struggling to walk and with a pale demeanor. He reportedly suffers from lupus and kidney failure, leading opposition analysts to believe Murillo is paving the way for a political succession.
