The child was introduced to the public for the first time in December 2023, during the celebration of the Purísima Concepción de María. He was a newborn then. Daniel Ortega held him in his arms and kissed him on the cheek while Rosario Murillo beamed with pride. The baby’s parents, Camila Ortega Murillo and Noé Salas Cisneros, appeared delighted and all smiles. Months later, on June 2, 2024, the boy was baptized at the San Judas Tadeo Church in Managua under the name Camilo Noé Daniel Salas Ortega.
Camilo Noé is one of 23 grandchildren—both biological and adopted—of Nicaragua’s presidential family. He has swiftly become the favorite of his dictatorial grandparents, so much so that they issued an official government statement addressed to ministers, ambassadors, deputies, political secretaries, state institutions, public universities, the National Police, and Sandinista media outlets to celebrate and honor his baptism.
Named Camilo after his great-uncle, who was assassinated in 1978 by Somoza’s National Guard; Noé after his father; and Daniel after his grandfather, the dictator accused of crimes against humanity, Camilo Noé began appearing on the colorful stages of official government and Sandinista party events before his first birthday. One of his earliest public appearances took place on September 14, 2024, during the commemoration of the Battle of San Jacinto, marked by a school parade along Bolívar to Chávez Avenue. After his grandparents assumed their central positions, the young boy made his entrance, now older, with curly hair and dressed in a traditional huipil shirt.
Playing with the Dictatorial Grandparents
Camilo Noé Daniel’s playful antics and affectionate gestures while in the arms of his dictator grandfather became the standout moment of the official broadcast of the event. The scene was repeated a month later during the parade celebrating the 45th anniversary of the Ministry of the Interior and the National Police. This time, dressed in overalls, the child played on his dictatorial grandmother’s lap, though it was still his grandfather who held him the most. That month, official propaganda began promoting a new narrative: the “grandfather-grandson bond of love.”
Recibe nuestro boletín semanal
@vivanicaragua13 🙋♂️🙋♀️ ¡Levante la mano quien es fan del amor abuelo-nieto! 💖👴👶 🌟📸#Comandante #Daniel #Nicaragua #AmorAbueloNieto #MomentosEspeciales ♬ sonido original – Viva Nicaragua
The regime-controlled media—managed by the presidential couple’s children—circulated videos on social media showcasing the interactions between Camilo Noé Daniel and his dictator grandfather. However, one individual was particularly keen to capture the perfect “grandfather-grandson” moment: Jairo Cajina, the official photographer of the dictatorial pair. According to Sandinista sources consulted for this article, Cajina’s goal was not just to find a new angle but to recreate or closely imitate one of the most iconic photos from Daniel Ortega’s political career: a photograph from his 1990 electoral campaign.
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“Everything Will Be Better! Daniel for President” That was the slogan for Daniel Ortega’s 1990 presidential campaign, the one he lost to former President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro. The slogan was paired with a photograph of Ortega embracing a young girl. That girl was Camila Ortega, born in 1987—future mother of Camilo Noé Daniel.
This photo held great significance for Ortega but even more so for Rosario Murillo, whose political influence over her husband began to strengthen during that decade, after being sidelined by the revolutionary elite in the 1980s.
Today, as the family’s dynastic dictatorship consolidates its power, Camila Ortega has become one of the closest daughters to “co-president” Murillo. Not only does she act as her mother’s personal secretary, assisting her on stage at all public events, but she also pursues her passion for fashion design through her annual event Nicaragua Diseña. This platform promotes high fashion, funded with public money.
Camila Ortega: Expert in Creative Economy?
In addition to serving as a presidential advisor, in 2019, Camila was appointed coordinator of the National Commission for Creative Economy. Privately, she is in charge of organizing family celebrations, birthdays, weddings, and vacations at El Carmen, the Ortega-Murillo family residence.
“Camila plays a logistical role in the family, but for Rosario Murillo, it holds a deeply spiritual meaning,” a source close to the Sandinista presidency explains. “At one point, Rosario said that Camila is the reincarnation of her mother, Zoilamérica Zambrana Sandino. Just as her mother cared for her, Rosario sees Camila as her guardian. This connection extends to Camila’s descendants, giving them a special significance.”
Murillo has long had strained relationships with other women, particularly those who criticize or oppose her. A prime example is Zoilamérica Ortega Murillo, who accused Ortega of sexual abuse in 1997. In response, Murillo ostracized Zoilamérica, labeled her “crazy,” and continues to harass her in Costa Rica, where she lives in exile, withdrawn from public life.
“For Rosario, the child of the daughter who protects and ‘blesses’ her holds immense significance. That’s why this boy has become so prominent within the family. While other grandchildren are included in family photos, the attention given to Camilo Noé Daniel has been both unique and consistent: he is regularly featured in official propaganda, always alongside his grandfather. This is clearly an effort to evoke the image from the 1990 campaign as the 2026 elections draw near. They celebrate him in official statements, and Sandinista social media is flooded with pictures of Daniel Ortega with Camila’s little boy,” explains another source close to the regime’s inner circle.
For the dictatorial couple, family and succession are central to state affairs and the Sandinista party. Nearly all the Ortega-Murillo siblings are presidential advisors or hold key positions in the government or party. The most prominent example is Laureano Ortega Murillo, the opera singer widely regarded as the regime’s chosen heir.
Although Murillo wields significant control over the family, even requiring all of them to live at El Carmen (except Rafael Ortega), sources note that she struggles to assert the same dominance over her sons’ children, as their mothers often act as intermediaries. A clear example of this conflict was with Yadira Leets, Rafael Ortega’s ex-wife, who fled to the United States in May 2002. Although she took her two eldest daughters with her, the remaining five children were left under the control of the Ortega-Murillo family in Managua. Leets has stated on social media that she is prohibited from seeing them.
“In Camila’s case, however, Murillo has total control over her daughter, using and managing her as she sees fit. This makes the situation with Camila’s son particularly strategic. By emphasizing the historical parallel to the 1990 campaign photo, they aim to send a message: time and generations may pass, but the ‘Commander’ endures. It’s a play on the idea of eternity. And, from a religious perspective, Murillo sees Camila as her guardian angel, with Camilo Noé Daniel resembling his mother,” says the source.
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Camilo Noé Daniel is the son of Noé Salas Cisneros, who married Camila Ortega Murillo in February 2020. His father is the son of Dr. Marco Antonio Salas Cruz, Chief of the Military Medical Corps of Nicaragua’s Army and Director of the Alejandro Dávila Bolaños Military Hospital.
Dr. Salas Cruz, a renowned orthopedic-traumatologist, treated war veterans during the 1980s and has always served as the Ortega family’s orthopedist. He is also a founding partner of the Bolonia Medical Center and a member of Nicaragua’s Sports Medicine Hall of Fame. On September 2, Daniel Ortega promoted his son-in-law’s father to the rank of brigadier general—just 12 days after young Camilo Noé Daniel appeared on stage during the Independence Day celebrations.
“This child will continue to be a prominent figure in official propaganda, helping to humanize Ortega and present him as a loving grandfather rather than a dictator responsible for crimes against humanity. Since Zoilamérica’s 1997 accusation of rape against Ortega, Murillo has consistently used her children to enhance their public image. Remember the press conference where Murillo dismissed Zoilamérica as ‘crazy.’ It was shortly after that when the regime began staging public appearances with children,” the source concludes.