Six Cuban military leaders have died in the past ten days. No cause of death named

Six influential Cuban military leaders have died in the past 10 days. About it informs Interfax with reference to the Tele-Radio Marty station working for Cuba from the USA.

On July 28, representatives of the Cuban Armed Forces announced the death of Gilberto Antonio Cardero Sánchez, who joined Fidel Castro’s rebel army in 1957 and served in the Cuban Armed Forces after the revolution. The soldier’s body was cremated. His age, rank, and cause of death were not disclosed.

Earlier, five generals died in Cuba within a week and a half. On July 26, at the age of 87, Brigadier General, writer and historian Armando Choi Rodriguez, who was the founder of a branch of the revolutionary movement “July 26 Movement” in the province of Villa Clara, died. On the same day, Manuel Eduardo Lastres Pacheco died, who joined Fidel Castro’s partisans in 1957 and fought under the command of Ernesto Che Guevara.

On July 24, at the age of 79, General Ruben Martinez Puente died. It is believed that he was the one who gave the order in 1996 to shoot down planes in the international airspace of the non-profit organization “Brothers to the Help”, created by Cuban émigrés in Miami.

On July 20, reserve general Marcelo Verdezia Perdomo, who was one of the bodyguards of Fidel Castro, died. On July 17, the former commander of the Western Army and a member of the Central Communist Committee of Cuba, Agustin Peña Porres, died.

According to local media, all of them could have contracted the coronavirus during a personal meeting after the protests that erupted in the country on July 11. The Cuban government does not comment on the circumstances of the generals’ death.

July 11, several thousand Cubans came out to major protests in Havana and other cities in the country. They opposed measures to combat COVID-19, the deteriorating economic situation and the suppression of freedoms. Tourism, one of the most important sectors of the economy, has been hit by travel restrictions during the pandemic. This year, a low harvest of sugar cane was also harvested, the processed products of which are an important export item. State reserves of foreign exchange are depleting, and therefore Cuba cannot buy imported goods to fill the deficit, as it was before.

During the clashes with the security forces, one person was killed and dozens of protesters were arrested. Anti-government demonstrations have become the largest in nearly 30 years. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel urged supporters of the authorities to take to the streets to “confront” the opposition and “defend the revolution”, and soon announced a large number of victims among the supporters of the authorities.

News of the protests spread on social media, with demonstrators broadcasting live from rallies across the country. Cubans received mobile Internet access several years ago, but the service is provided by a state-owned company. After the outbreak of the protests, the Internet was turned off, but on Wednesday the connection started working. However, some messaging platforms remained blocked on 3G and 4G networks, including Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter.

Discontent with the Cuban authorities has been ripening for a long time. The situation with COVID-19 was complicated by the fact that people are forced to crowd in queues for the essentials every day for a long time. “You have to stand in lines for three to four hours just to eat!” – wrote a local resident named Carmen, commenting on what is happening on the Internet.

People were also outraged that the government continues to receive thousands of Russian tourists at the Varadero resort. At the same time, the situation with the coronavirus in the province of Matanzas, where it is located, is one of the worst in the country.

“Mr. President, the situation in Matanzas is due to the Delta strain brought from Russia. What were you thinking when you resumed flights a few months ago? – one of the Internet users addressed the head of state. However, this comment, posted on the government news portal Cubadebate, was soon deleted.