Five years have passed since the vile and absurd kidnapping of Assel and Landy.
Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Five years have passed since the kidnapping in Kenya, on April 12, 2019, of Dr. Assel Herrera Correa and Dr. Landy Rodríguez Hernández, Cuban doctors who were serving in that country as part of an intergovernmental cooperation agreement in which they were voluntarily participating. Since the news of the vile and absurd kidnapping became known, the governments of Kenya, Somalia and Cuba have made innumerable and enormous efforts to achieve the rescue of our two doctors and their return to their homeland. The government of Cuba is grateful to the governments of the Republic of Kenya, the Federal Republic of Somalia and other countries for the efforts they are still making for the release of our doctors.
This extraordinary and unprecedented event in the long history of Cuba's International Medical Cooperation has been permanently followed by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz and the attention of the Party, the State and the Government, headed by the First Secretary and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, and authorities and entities inside and outside Cuba. Last February 17, we received the hard and worrying news about the presumed death of our two compatriots, victims of an air attack on February 15 by U.S. military forces operating in Somalia. Despite the many efforts made by the Cuban government, it has not been possible to obtain information or evidence that would allow us to reach definitive conclusions and clarify the situation of Assel and Landy, whether they are still alive or to confirm the sad news released on February 17. The data obtained to date are insufficient to corroborate the truth of what happened according to procedures supported by science and national legislation. What has been ascertained so far is that on the night of February 15, 2024, the United States African Command (AFRICOM), operating in Somalia, carried out an air strike in the area where the Cuban doctors were located.
Given the nature of the conflict in Somalia and the impossibility of obtaining confirmation, in recent weeks the Cuban government has repeatedly requested, through direct communications and diplomatic notes to the U.S. government, precise information on the events that occurred. Upon insistence, the U.S. government confirmed that an attack took place in the area where our doctors were located, but without precise clarifications as to the place. It also affirmed that its authorities have initiated an investigation. However, to date, the U.S. government has not responded with the required seriousness or urgency. It has not even provided data on the circumstances and characteristics of the operation carried out. It has not clarified whether the operation was justified, whether U.S. military forces acted with due respect for international humanitarian law and with the requisite care to protect civilians and innocents. It has not provided information on the victims nor has it offered any data that would make it possible to determine whether during the operations carried out by the U.S. African Command, on the dates and in the geographical area reported, our doctors were among the victims of the attack.
The Cuban government has conveyed these requests for information to the U.S. government in a respectful manner and in the spirit of cooperation and due attention that is expected between States in such sensitive situations. It has done so knowing that various sources affirm that it was a U.S. military operation, with U.S. troops and weapons, which allegedly claimed the lives of our compatriots. The absence of data and of a prompt and adequate response from the U.S. government prevents us from having certain elements to offer the families and our people a conclusive version of what happened, and we await an official response to the queries that Cuba has respectfully submitted, with elements that can be provided by U.S. civilian and military agencies operating in Somalia and in that region of the world.
The Government of Cuba reiterates its gratitude to the governments of the Republic of Kenya, the Federal Republic of Somalia and other countries for the measures taken. Our Government continues to communicate with the Government of the United States in search of information. It will not cease in its hopes and efforts until the truth is known.
Havana, April 12, 2024