Cuba - The African Mirror

Mar

2024

Former US ambassador to plead guilty for spying for Cuba over decades

A former U.S. ambassador will plead guilty to charges of spying for Cuba for decades, court records showed, in what the Justice Department described as one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the U.S. government by a foreign agent. WHY IT IS IMPORTANT Victor Manuel Rocha, who served as U.S. ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002, was charged in December with committing multiple federal crimes, including acting as an illegal foreign agent and using a fraudulently obtained passport. The U.S. had accused Rocha of having secretly supported Cuba and its clandestine intelligence-gathering mission against Washington since 1981. KEY QUOTES…

Jan

2024

By NALEDI PANDOR

“Progressive forces around the world to need practical programmes of support for the people of Cuba”

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

SINCE 1994, South Africa has been resolute in its support for Cuba and has led the charge in international fora for the USA to bring an end to the illegal and unjust economic blockade against that island nation. The blockade is in its 62nd year now and appears unending despite our solidarity action. South Africa has consistently voted in favour of the annual United Nations resolution calling for the end of the economic, commercial, and financial embargo imposed by the United States. South Africa also campaigned for the release of the Cuban Five, and called on the US government to…

Dec

2023

By The African Mirror

Cuba thwarts terrorist plot by South Florida man who arrived by jetski, state-run media says

WORLD

CUBA said that it had thwarted a terrorist plot hatched in neighboring south Florida, according to a report broadcast on state-run media, after a man allegedly arrived on the island by jetski to commit acts of violence. The resulting investigation, which state-run media said was still underway, alleged the plot was tied to at least two groups, Nueva Nacion Cubana and La Nueva Nacion Cubana en Armas, which Cuba has labeled as terrorist entities. Reuters was unable to contact either of the groups late on Saturday. The report said one of the men it had arrested, who appeared on the…

May

2023

By The African Mirror

Isolated protest in eastern Cuba sparks duelling versions on social media

WORLD

CUBANS in Caimanera, a small port town near the U.S. military base at Guantanamo, took to the streets late evening, according to social media and official reports, in the first known anti-government protests of the year in Cuba. Videos posted on social media, many shared by dissidents outside Cuba and by human rights groups, showed what appeared to be men in military uniforms and others in civilian clothing clashing with dozens of protesters on a dimly lit street while onlookers recorded the events with cellphones. The videos showed the protesters in the fishing village near the eastern tip of the…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

Cubans head to the polls, all eyes on voter turnout

WORLD

CUBANS headed to the polls to vote for the 470 lawmakers who will represent them in the country´s National Assembly in a closely watched election seen as a referendum on the communist-run government at a time of deep economic crisis. Voting centres in the capital Havana opened at 7 a.m. ET and bustled with activity through mid-day as citizens arrived to cast ballots at the city's share of more than 23,000 official ballot sites throughout the country. By 11 a.m. ET, nearly 42% of the country had voted, according to Cuba's National Electoral Council (CEN). Cuba´s government, saddled by shortages,…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

Foreign ministers of more than a dozen countries condemn mass arrests in Cuba

WORLD

THE foreign ministers of the United States and 20 other countries have condemned mass arrests in Cuba and called for full restoration of Internet access in the island nation that has recently been rocked by political unrest. The joint statement was issued by the governments of Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Guatemala, Greece, Honduras, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Republic of Korea, and Ukraine, alongside the United States. "Democracies around the world are coming together to support the Cuban people, calling on the Cuban government to respect Cubans' demands for universal human rights,"…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

Cubans stage caravan to protest U.S. trade embargo, sanctions

WORLD

HUNDREDS of Cubans took to Havana's famous seaside drive yesterday in a colourful caravan of cars, motorcycles and bicycles to demand the United States lift its 60-year-old embargo on the Caribbean island nation. The caravan was part of a weekend of small protests and caravans in more than 50 cities around the world, including in the United States, supported by local authorities in hopes of influencing the Biden administration to change U.S. policy and to counter a campaign by Cuban exiles to keep the embargo in place. Horns blared, Cuban flags fluttered and masked protesters yelled "down with the blockade"…