Vice President and First Lady of Nicaragua, long-time political partner of Daniel Ortega
As of April 28, 2026, Cuba is facing severe economic and energy crises worsened by a US oil blockade following the removal of Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has reiterated Cuba's sovereignty and readiness to defend against any US military aggression, rejecting demands for regime change. Meanwhile, secret negotiations between Washington and Havana are addressing longstanding property claims by Cuban exiles whose assets were seized after the 1959 revolution.
Venezuelan opposition leader Machado has visited Spain, meeting with opposition figures and avoiding talks with the government. She has received a warm welcome from conservative leaders, highlighting divisions within Venezuelan politics and contrasting her approach with that of the Spanish government, which emphasizes democratic sovereignty.
The United States has announced expanded visa-restrictions on Nicaraguan officials and their families, citing the alleged political detention and death of Indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera. Washington describes the death as horrific and links it to a broader pattern of rights abuses under the Ortega–Murillo government. Responses from the Nicaraguan government remain muted while UN experts call for independent investigation and the repatriation of Rivera’s remains.
Nicaragua has intensified a crackdown on dissent by revoking legal licenses for hundreds of lawyers and eroding the independence of the judiciary, according to UN experts and multiple outlets. The government has not commented. The move widens a pattern of restricting NGOs, churches, and independent groups since protests in 2018.