Scandal in Nicaragua: Daniel Ortega hands over nearly 7% of the national territory —some 919,000 hectares— to Chinese mining companies while the country sinks into poverty and public discontent grows

A journalistic revelation has sparked a strong controversy in Nicaragua after it became known that the Daniel Ortega regime has granted huge tracts of national territory to Chinese mining companies.

The information suggests that the Nicaraguan government has handed over approximately 7% of the country's territory to companies linked to the Asian giant, a decision that has generated concern both inside and outside of Nicaragua .

In concrete terms, the concessions would cover some 919,000 hectares of land, a gigantic area that will allow several Chinese companies to exploit mineral resources in different regions of the country.

According to available data, the direct benefit would fall to at least eight Chinese mining companies that have received permits to operate in Nicaraguan territory.

The decision is part of the growing political, economic and strategic rapprochement between the Ortega regime and the Chinese government, a relationship that has strengthened in recent years.

Meanwhile, Nicaragua continues to face an extremely difficult economic situation. Large segments of the population live in poverty, with a weakened economy and a growing dependence on international alliances to sustain the functioning of the state.

In this context, many analysts interpret these concessions as a way to obtain economic and political support from Beijing, amid the international isolation faced by the Nicaraguan regime after years of accusations of political repression and human rights violations.

However, the impact of these concessions is not limited to the economic sphere.

The areas affected by the mining permits include at least 17 indigenous territories, which has generated strong alarm among social organizations and local communities.

These territories represent fundamental spaces for the cultural identity, subsistence, and autonomy of numerous indigenous communities that have inhabited these lands for generations.

Indigenous organizations warn that the expansion of mining projects could cause serious environmental consequences, as well as profoundly altering the lives of communities that depend on these territories.

The controversy has grown even more due to the strong rejection that this decision has generated among the Nicaraguan population.

Various surveys and opinion studies indicate that more than 75% of citizens oppose handing over national territory to foreign companies, especially when it comes to concessions of such magnitude.

For many critics of the regime, the situation reflects a clear political strategy: to use the country's natural resources as a bargaining chip to secure financial and political support from abroad.

Meanwhile, the debate continues to grow within the country, where more and more sectors are questioning the extent to which the government is willing to compromise strategic resources and national territories to maintain its hold on power.

Amid this controversy, Nicaragua is once again at the center of the international discussion on China's influence in the region and the future of natural resources in countries governed by authoritarian regimes.

https://gatewayhispanic.com/2026/03/escandalo-en-nicaragua-daniel-ortega-entrega-cerca-del/