Cuban security personnel withdraw from Venezuela amid escalating US pressure.
Cuban security experts and medical professionals have been departing Venezuela as Interim President Delcy Rodriguez’s administration encounters significant pressure from Washington to dismantle Latin America’s most pivotal socialist coalition, according to 11 informed sources.
Venezuela’s Interim President Delcy Rodriguez has delegated her security to Venezuelan bodyguards, as reported by four sources, in contrast to deposed president Nicolas Maduro and his predecessor, the late president Hugo Chavez, who both depended on special Cuban forces.
The Cuban government reports that thirty-two Cubans were killed in the US military operation that apprehended Maduro on January 3. The soldiers and bodyguards were integral to a comprehensive security accord between Caracas and Havana that commenced in the late 2000s, involving the integration of Cuban intelligence operatives within the military and Venezuela’s powerful DGCIM counterintelligence unit, which was essential for eliminating domestic dissent.
Alejandro Velasco, an associate professor of history at New York University and a specialist in Venezuela, stated that “the Cuban influence was absolutely essential” for the survival of the Chavista regime.
According to a former Venezuelan intelligence official, some Cuban advisers have been dismissed from their positions inside DGCIM. Several Cuban medical personnel and security advisors have recently traveled from Venezuela to Cuba via planes, according to two sources.
A source affiliated with Venezuela’s ruling party indicated that the Cubans were leaving under Rodriguez’s directives due to pressure from the United States. The other accounts were ambiguous regarding whether the Cubans were compelled to evacuate by the new Venezuelan leadership, leaving voluntarily, or being recalled by Havana.
The exclusion of Cubans from the presidential guard and the counterintelligence section has not been previously disclosed.
TRUMP SEEKS TERMINATION OF VENEZUELA-CUBA RELATIONS
Before the operation to oust Maduro, thousands of Cuban medical professionals and sports instructors were employed in Venezuela as part of social initiatives established under Chavez. In return, Venezuela supplied Cuba with a vital source of oil.
Subsequent to the US assault, President Donald Trump pledged to terminate the security alliance between Venezuela and Cuba. Cuba relied for long years on substantial quantities of oil and financial resources from Venezuela. Cuba formerly offered ‘Security Services’ to the last two Venezuelan dictators; but, this is no longer the case,” he stated on Truth Social on January 11.
A White House official, addressing inquiries over US pressure on Venezuela to sever links with Cuba, stated that the US maintains “a very good relationship with the leaders of Venezuela” and feels that Rodriguez’s “own self-interest aligns with advancing our key objectives.”
Disengaging Venezuela from Cuba is a component of Washington’s overarching goal to overthrow Havana’s communist regime. Since mid-December, Washington has imposed an embargo on Venezuela, preventing the shipment of oil to Cuba and economically suffocating the island.
The US government is engaging in discussions with Cuba, urging its authorities to reach an agreement, according to the official.
The Cuban government has expressed its willingness to engage in talks on equitable terms, while denouncing the oil blockade and pledging to oppose US interference.
Neither the governments of Cuba nor Venezuela provided a response to requests for comment. The two nations have publicly confirmed their ongoing friendship.
Rodriguez, the offspring of a former Marxist guerrilla, has been a longstanding associate of Maduro and a member of Venezuela’s governing Socialist Party. According to ten sources from the United States and Venezuela, she maintains a personal relationship with the Cuban government.
On January 8, Rodriguez attended a floral memorial service in Caracas for the victims of the US bombing, alongside Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.
“To the courageous Venezuelan populace, we convey Cuba’s profound solidarity,” stated Bruno Rodriguez at the ceremony, subsequently invoking the rallying cry of Cuban revolutionary icon Ernesto “Che” Guevara: “Hasta la victoria siempre.”
In late January, Delcy Rodriguez conversed via telephone with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, thereafter asserting that the two nations remained “united.” Following the same call, Diaz-Canel stated that Cuba is dedicated to “further enhancing the historic bonds of brotherhood and cooperation.”
A White House official stated, “President Trump recognizes that they must issue specific statements for domestic political purposes,” about the bilateral relations between the two nations.
RETURN FLIGHTS TO CUBA
A source knowledgeable about the Cuban government’s perspective indicated that several military soldiers injured in the US bombing have returned to Cuba, while others continue to operate in Venezuela. The source additionally indicated that numerous Cuban physicians persist in delivering medical services in Venezuela.
In early January, Cuba’s state-run media reported that a suspension of commercial flights and the closing of Venezuelan airspace had resulted in a backlog, hindering Cuba’s ability to repatriate doctors from holidays or conclude their missions in Venezuela. The flights recommenced the week following the January 3 US strike, according to the reports.
A US source acquainted with the situation indicated that although the Cuban presence is waning, certain covert intelligence operatives are expected to remain in the nation to monitor the political developments.
Frank Mora, former US ambassador to the Organization of American States during the Biden administration, stated, “Rodriguez is proceeding with caution.”
Mora stated, “She intends to maintain distance from the Cubans until the situation stabilizes and her authority is unequivocal, yet she does not wish to completely abandon them.”
According to four sources acquainted with the situation, some Cuban military advisers remain active in Venezuela. Cuban educators persist in instructing at the state institution for police and security forces, referred to as UNES, as stated by a former police officer.
John Polga-Hecimovich, a professor at the US Naval Academy in Maryland, who has examined the influence of Cuban security advisers in Venezuela, stated that the legacy of the Cuban counterintelligence initiative is still apparent in Caracas, where Maduro’s foremost loyalists retain authority.
“The Cubans were unsuccessful in safeguarding Maduro, however they were instrumental in maintaining the Chavista regime,” stated Polga-Hecimovich. “The measures to prevent a coup were highly effective.”