The Cuban government has strongly condemned a US operation in Venezuela that resulted in the deaths of 32 Cuban nationals, all reportedly members of Cuba’s armed forces and intelligence services, during an attempt to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
In an official statement released on Sunday, Havana expressed profound grief and announced two days of national mourning on January 5 and 6 to honor those who lost their lives. Funeral arrangements will be communicated in the coming days.
The statement highlighted the bravery of the fallen, noting that they “fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism, falling after fierce resistance in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of bombings on the facilities.”
Cuba has historically provided security support for President Maduro, but the exact number of Cuban personnel present during the raid remains unclear.
President Maduro, 63, along with his wife Cilia Flores, were taken into US custody on Saturday in Caracas and transferred to New York, where he is being held in a detention center ahead of a court appearance scheduled for Monday. Maduro faces US charges related to narco-terrorism conspiracy, stemming from a 2020 indictment, which he has consistently denied.
This incident marks a highly tense chapter in US-Cuba-Venezuela relations, and the loss of Cuban lives underscores the human cost of geopolitical conflicts. Families in Cuba and Venezuela now face a period of mourning and uncertainty as the implications of this operation unfold.
