Cuban revolutionary icon dies aged 94

Cuban revolutionary commander Ramiro Valdes Menendez, a figure revered in the island nation as a hero who fought alongside Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, has passed away at the age of 94.

In an X post on Sunday, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said Valdes’ death “hurt deeply, like that of a father.”

“Every act in Commander Ramiro’s life was marked by his absolute loyalty to the leadership of Fidel and Raul [Castro], to his fellow fighters, and to the Moncada Program,” he said, referring to the political and social reforms implemented after the revolution toppled the US-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

The reforms were named after the unsuccessful 1953 Moncada Barracks assault, which marked the beginning of the revolution and in which Valdes fought alongside Che and both Castro brothers.

In the years after, he was awarded the titles of Commander of the Revolution and Hero of the Republic of Cuba, played a key role in establishing the island nation’s intelligence services, and later served as vice president during the presidency of Raul Castro.

Raul Castro was indicted in the US last month as Washington intensified its decades-long campaign of political pressure and economic sanctions against Cuba.

Since the start of his second term, US President Donald Trump has further tightened the blockade, promising tariffs on countries that supplied oil to Cuba and openly threatening it with regime change and a takeover.

Diaz-Canel denounced the pressure as illegal, but has confirmed talks with Washington as the nation grapples with a worsening fuel, electricity, and economic crisis brought on by the blockade.

Russia has provided Cuba with humanitarian aid. In March, Moscow sent a shipment of around 700,000 barrels of crude to help alleviate the energy crisis.

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