Cuban doctors and security advisers begin dismantling Latin America’s most important left-wing pact under intense pressure from Washington Venezuelaas he states Reuters.
Unlike her predecessor, the ousted Nicolas Maduro or the late Hugo Chávez – both of whom relied on elite Cuban forces – interim President Delcy Rodriguez has now entrusted her personal security to Venezuelan bodyguards.
According to the Cuban government, 32 Cubans were killed during the January 3rd US military operation that captured Maduro. These operatives were part of a deep-seated security pact in the late 2000s that saw Cuban intelligence integrated into the Venezuelan military and DGCIM counterintelligence – a pillar in neutralizing domestic dissent.
“Cuban influence was absolutely essential” to the survival of the Chavista government, said Alejandro Velasco, an associate professor of history at New York University and an expert on Venezuela. Reuters.
A former intelligence official said several Cuban advisers have already been removed from their posts at DGCIM. Reuters reports that cohorts of medical personnel and security experts have been filmed departing for Cuba in recent weeks.
This was said by a source close to the ruling Socialist Party Reuters that Rodriguez ordered the departures specifically to appease US demands. This shift—the removal of Cubans from the presidential guard and intelligence apparatus—marks a previously unheralded turning point in regional dynamics.
The US wants to tighten relations between Venezuela and Cuba
Before the mission to oust Maduro, thousands of Cuban professionals, including doctors and trainers, were employed by Venezuelan social programs initiated by Chávez. In return, Caracas provided Havana with vital oil supplies. After the January attack, the US president Donald Trump committed to permanently interrupt this bilateral hedging bond.
“Cuba lived for many years on the large amount of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela. In return, Cuba provided ‘Security Services’ for the last two Venezuelan dictators, BUT NOT ANYMORE!”, he wrote on January 11th on Truth Social.
A White House official said the U.S. has a “very good relationship with the leaders of Venezuela” and that it believes Rodriguez’s “self-interest is aligned with advancing our key goals.”
Dissolving the Venezuela-Cuba axis is a cornerstone of Washington’s broader ambition to topple the communist administration in Havana. Since mid-December, a United States blockade has prevented Venezuelan oil from reaching the island, creating a severe economic squeeze. While the Cuban government has expressed a willingness to engage in dialogue on “equal terms,” it continues to condemn the naval blockade and vows to resist US interventionism.
Although a longtime member of the ruling Socialist Party and a close confidant of the Cuban leadership, Rodriguez—the daughter of a Marxist guerrilla—is undergoing a delicate transformation. Its move away from Cuban protection suggests a pragmatic response to the reality of American influence in the post-Maduro era. Reuters.
