(AFP) – US-indicted Cuban leader Raul Castro received a standing ovation as he appeared in public for the first time in months Thursday, attending an event in Havana to mark the centenary of his brother Fidel’s birth. The 95-year-old head of the Cuban armed forces and former president entered the Karl Marx theater for a celebration rally amid the island’s worst crisis in living memory. He appeared at the event dressed in his trademark olive-green military uniform, AFP reporters witnessed, amid tight security.
Cellphones were banned from the ceremony, bags were closely screened, and delegates were put through a metal detector by a sizable security force. Castro is the last surviving leader of Cuba’s 1959 revolution and is seen as still wielding power on the island, despite stepping down as president in 2018. In May, he was indicted by a court in the US state of Florida on four counts of murder. The charges related to the downing of US civilian planes by Cuban forces on February 24, 1996, when Castro was defense minister. He last appeared in public at a May 1 event in front of the US embassy in Havana, where he appeared frail, and was shown on state television at events in June.
The United States has set up an energy embargo of the communist-ruled island, demanding a change in government and deep economic and political reform. In recent months, President Donald Trump and other senior US officials have openly hinted at a military intervention or takeover of Cuba. “All options are on the table, to include military options,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday. “I think Cuba would be wise to pay attention to the willingness of President Trump to assert American strategic prerogatives.”
– Rallying the party faithful –
The crisis and years of poor maintenance have fueled rolling blackouts and shortages of basic goods. In June, Cuba’s presidency stated on social media that the former president had approved a package of economic reforms aimed at addressing the crisis facing the island, which is under heavy pressure from Washington. Cuba’s Communist Party has used the 100 years since late president Fidel Castro’s birth to rally the party faithful and the armed forces through a week-long series of exhibitions, concerts, and conferences.
On Thursday, they shouted “I am Fidel” and applauded throughout the performances and speeches. However, the anniversary has passed largely unnoticed by normal Cubans who are more concerned with finding water, getting supplies, and keeping cool in the intense summer heat. For many, today’s hardships only serve to highlight the absence of a leader who died a decade ago and is still seen as the wily strategist who outwitted his American foes.
Thursday’s event featured La Colmenita, a Cuban children’s theater company that was a favorite of Fidel’s. Toward the end of the performance, Raul stood and gestured to the crowd that they should stand and applaud.
– Lisandra COTS, Rigoberto DIAZ
© 2024 AFP
