Havana/Nicaragua left Cuba and Venezuela out of the troop entry authorizations for 2027, thereby interrupting a military exchange that had been in place since 2020 and contemplated the sending of troops for “humanitarian activities and joint exercises with the Nicaraguan Army.” This was reported this Wednesday the independent media Confidentialbased on a presidential decree by Daniel Ortega. Published in the ‘Official Gazette Gazette’, the text states that it maintains military cooperation relations with Russia, China, the United States, Mexico and several Central American countries, excluding Havana and Caracas from the list.
“Cuba is basically economically finished,” a security expert who requested anonymity told the Nicaraguan newspaper when explaining the factors that could be behind the suspension of the exchange. “It is not that it is a rupture – he clarified – what is happening is that there must be internal elements that are preventing troops from being sent to Nicaragua,” he added.
According to the analyst, the Havana authorities would be concentrating their military and security resources on addressing possible scenarios of instability within their territory. “If Cuba continues like this, the population will explode at any moment,” warned the same expert.
Faced with the economic crisis, blackouts, drug shortages and discontent, the Cuban Government would need to reinforce its internal security capabilities against the possibility of widespread protests or US intervention. The same specialist explains: “They are requiring the greatest number of military forces, of forces from the Ministry of the Interior, because they are foreseeing scenarios of generalized unrest or possible direct intervention by the United States.”
According to a systematization and analysis of data on presidential decrees published between 2020 and 2027, consulted by ConfidentialBetween 2020 and 2026, Cuba sent 700 soldiers to Nicaragua. During that period, the entry of 50 troops per semester was authorized, mainly for “humanitarian activities.”
Between 2020 and 2027, consulted by Confidencial, between 2020 and 2026, Cuba sent 700 soldiers to Nicaragua
The research work specifies that the following year the Nicaraguan military will not travel to the Island either by decision of the Ortega-Murillo regime. “The permits from previous years contemplated semi-annual exchanges with Havana and Caracas, where about 100 troops traveled per year to each country,” the text highlights.
Although the decree does not establish the reasons for the exclusion, the fact marks a change in military cooperation between Managua and Havana, which had maintained semiannual authorizations during previous years.
The suspension is not limited to Cuba. Venezuela also does not appear in the authorizations for the entry of foreign troops to Nicaragua for 2027, despite the fact that both governments held military exercises and exchanges.
According to the systematization, between 2020 and the second half of 2026 at least 2,190 Venezuelan soldiers were authorized to enter Nicaraguan territory.
The specialist attributed this change to the Venezuelan political situation and the reorganization of its armed forces after the events of January 3, 2026, when a US intervention led to the capture and extraction of Nicolás Maduro.
In his opinion, the Venezuelan military forces would be concentrated on the development of the new political scenario, so the absence of their troops in Nicaragua does not necessarily mean a diplomatic or military rupture.
