International
Terrorism, prisoners and the Vatican: autopsy of the agreement between the US and Cuba that was born dead
The agreement, mediated by the Vatican, between the United States and Cuba lasted just six days by which Washington took the island off the terrorist list in exchange for a massive release of prisoners in the country.
In the avalanche of executive orders signed by Republican Donald Trump in his early hours in the Oval Office was the one who immediately returned to Cuba to the list of countries sponsoring terrorism, a measure with serious financial consequences.
The decision had been anticipated by the new Secretary of State, the Cuban-American Marco Rubio, in favor of the hard line with the Cuban government.
In his confirmation appearance before the Senate, Rubio said that he had “zero doubts” that Cuba was a country promoting terrorism and said that the decisions of the Biden Administration did not link those of the new Republican cabinet at all.
For his part, the President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, called the revocation of one of the last decisions of Democrat Joe Biden just six days later as “mockery”.
In his opinion, it is an “act of arrogance” by Trump who despises “the truth” and only seeks to strengthen “the cruel economic war against Cuba for domination.”
What the Cuban government has not yet pronounced on is whether it will comply with its part of the deal, since it agreed with the Vatican. Officially, Havana has never linked the list and the release: only Washington has agreed.
So far and according to the human rights NGOs on the island that count prisoners for political reasons -Justicia 11J, the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) and Prisoners Defenders-, about 150 prisoners had been released from prison until Monday thanks to this trilateral understanding.
However, there is also an undetermined number of common inmates who have benefited from this measure.
The Cuban government had announced the release of 553 people “sanctioned for various crimes,” but has not made public a list of names and has not updated in recent days on the total number of graces. Last Thursday he talked about 127.
Among those released registered by NGOs, young men without a previous activist history who participated in the anti-government protests of July 11, 2021 – the largest in decades – and who have officially been on probation (without the extinction of sentence) predominate.
Among the beneficiaries there are also historical opponents, such as Félix Navarro and José Daniel Ferrer, and activists such as Pedro Albert Sánchez, Luis Robles and the lady of Blanco Tania Echeverría.
However, many prisoners considered political are still in prison, including some with international recognition such as the artists and activists Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Osorbo, qualified as prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International.
Most are unknown to the international audience. Prisoners Defenders registered a total of 1,161 prisoners for political reasons in Cuba at the end of 2024. Justice 11J figures the sentenced 11J demonstrators at 549.
The future of these imprisoned people is now uncertain, as well as that of Cuba as a whole with the arrival of Trump.
The island was already immersed in a serious economic and energy crisis, with shortages of food, medicine and fuel, prolonged daily blackouts and inflation that has tripled prices since 2021.
The country’s difficulties in stabilizing its economy, securing basic products and growing again – its gross domestic product (GDP) is below 2019 levels – could be further aggravated by a US Administration openly against it.
In fact, the current situation in the country is due to the consequences of COVID-19 and several failed economic and monetary policies implemented by Havana, but also to the tightening of US sanctions during Trump’s first term (2017-2021).
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
International
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.
“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”
International
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.
“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”
Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
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