Cuba declares national mourning after military deaths in Venezuela: Video
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has declared two days of national mourning following the deaths of 32 Cuban military personnel in Venezuela during US attacks linked to an operation targeting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
The official mourning period began early Monday, January 5, and will run until the end of Tuesday, January 6, marking one of Cuba’s most serious overseas military losses in recent years.
In the decree announcing the mourning period, Díaz-Canel said the personnel were carrying out missions on behalf of Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces and Ministry of the Interior, at the request of Venezuelan institutions. He stated that those killed died either in direct combat or as a result of bombardments on facilities, describing their actions as a reflection of Cuba’s longstanding policy of international solidarity.
Venezuelan authorities said the Cuban personnel were operating within the framework of cooperation between sovereign states, performing institutional protection and defence duties. Media reports indicate that the wider US attacks in the Venezuelan states of Miranda, La Guaira and Aragua have left at least 80 people dead, including both civilians and military personnel, further intensifying regional and international scrutiny of the operation.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
