Nicaragua Inaugurates Secret Chinese-Funded Emergency Center

The government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo has officially opened the "Momotombo" Early Warning Monitoring Center, part of the National System for Response to Emergencies (Sinarem). This advanced facility, valued at $44.95 million and funded by a loan from the People's Republic of China, had been kept under wraps for almost two years. Its inauguration follows a report revealing the secret project, which integrates disaster management with sophisticated surveillance and response activation capabilities.

The center boasts cutting-edge Chinese technology, including drones, robotic dogs, and intelligent systems for detecting seismic activity and monitoring rivers. Despite the secrecy surrounding its development, Guillermo González, the minister advisor for the National System for the Prevention, Mitigation, and Attention of Disasters (Sinapred), stated that the center was inaugurated ahead of schedule. Laureano Ortega Murillo, the presidential advisor for Investment Promotion, Trade, and International Cooperation, expressed gratitude to China for the center's construction and equipment, emphasizing its role in continuous vigilance and preparedness.

Details about the Sinarem project, managed by Sinapred, include an operations center in Managua and a remodeled center at the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies (Ineter). The project also involves a command center with 12 operational application systems, 7 technological support platforms, and a disaster data recovery system. Additionally, it is equipped with 20 automatic weather stations, 20 hydrological stations, 25 volcanic monitoring stations, 8 microwave repeaters, 89 seismic monitoring stations, 96 video surveillance stations, and 172 emergency transmission stations. The project's significant cost is tied to a loan from the Chinese state-owned company CAMC Engineering Co., Ltd (CAMCE), which handled construction and equipment procurement, alongside Chinese companies Comservice and Percent.

Budgetary data from the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit indicates that the regime initially paid 311.5 million córdobas in 2024 as part of the national counterpart for the project's design, representing 20% of the credit approved by the National Assembly. In 2025, the Sinarem budget was expanded to 932 million córdobas, with further increases planned for 2026.