Humberto Ortega | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ortega in 2005 | |
| Born | 10 January 1947 La Libertad, Nicaragua |
| Died | 30 September 2024 (aged 77) Managua, Nicaragua |
| Office | Minister of Defense of Nicaragua (1980–1995) |
| Political party | Sandinista National Liberation Front |
| Spouse | Ligia Trejos Leiva |
| Children | 5 |
| Relatives | Daniel Ortega (brother) |
General Humberto Ortega Saavedra (10 January 1947 – 30 September 2024) was a Nicaraguan revolutionary, military leader, writer and businessman. One of the nine members of the National Directorate of the Sandinista National Liberation Front, he co-founded the Tercerista tendency[clarification needed] and was the "major theorist"[1] of the urban insurrection strategy that toppled the Somoza family dictatorship. A four-star general, Ortega was minister of defense from 1980 to 1995, between the victory of the Sandinista revolution in 1979 under the National Reconstruction Government, through the first presidency of his brother Daniel Ortega, and into the presidency of Violeta Chamorro who defeated Daniel Ortega in 1990. He was also chief of the army, overseeing its transformation from the partisan Sandinista Popular Army (EPS) to the professionalized Nicaraguan Armed Forces under civilian control. Later in life he spoke out against repression by his brother's government (back in power since 2007). Hours after a May 2024 interview in which he sharply criticized his brother, Humberto Ortega was placed under house arrest. The following month, he was transferred to a military hospital where he died in September 2024.