The Cuban government on Sunday claimed that 32 of its citizens were killed during a United States operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, marking a dramatic escalation in the long-running crisis surrounding the Venezuelan leadership.
Havana announced two days of national mourning for January 5 and 6 to honour those who died, stating that full funeral arrangements would be communicated at a later date. In an official statement, Cuban authorities said the victims were members of the country’s armed forces and intelligence services, though specific operational details were not disclosed.
According to the statement, the Cuban personnel died while carrying out security and defence duties linked to the protection of the Venezuelan government. The government described the fallen officers as having fought with “dignity and heroism,” adding that they were killed either in direct combat with the attackers or as a result of aerial bombardments on secured facilities.
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Cuba has for years maintained a close security relationship with President Maduro, providing intelligence and protective support since his emergence as Venezuela’s leader. However, it remains unclear how many Cuban operatives were deployed around Maduro at the time of the operation or whether additional casualties occurred at other locations across Venezuela.
Maduro, 63, and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured by US forces in Caracas on Saturday and flown to the United States. He is currently being held at a detention facility in New York ahead of a court appearance scheduled for Monday, where he is expected to face drug-related charges.
The Venezuelan president was indicted in 2020 by US authorities on multiple counts, including conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism. Maduro has consistently rejected the allegations, describing them as politically motivated.
The operation and its aftermath have sparked fresh international debate over sovereignty, foreign intervention, and the role of external actors in Venezuela’s prolonged political conflict, as global attention now shifts to the legal and diplomatic fallout from Maduro’s arrest.
