LatinNews Daily - 13 March 2026

*Nicaraguan environmental NGO Fundación del Río has released a new report showing that between 2021 and 2026 Nicaragua’s authoritarian government led by co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo authorised 71 mining concessions to 15 Chinese companies, spanning over a million hectares. According to the NGO, 8.5% of Nicaraguan territory has been handed over in concessions to Chinese mining companies. Fundación del Río and other environmental groups have previously warned that these concessions are located in environmentally sensitive areas and indigenous territories, and violate national and international legislation.