The Cuban regime reported this Friday that it continues the efforts and work aimed at achieving greater clarification regarding the alleged death of doctors Assel Herrera Correa and Landy Rodríguez Hernández in Somalia.
According to astatement From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the island still has no response regarding the incident despite the contacts established with the governments of Kenya and Somalia, since "questions persist."
"The government authorities continue the efforts and work aimed at achieving the greatest possible clarification on the news released since February 17, 2024, referring to the alleged death of our compatriots Dr.Assel Herrera Belt and Dr. Landy Rodriguez Hernandez"says the text.
He explains that the information obtained so far, "including the sensitive elements provided by the Kenyan government" during a visit byEsteban Lazo to that nation in search of details of the event, "they still do not allow us to reach definitive conclusions."
"The details provided by the Kenyan government, both in the meeting with President William Ruto and in subsequent meetings, were carefully examined. Although they are valuable and help guide the investigation, questions remain that need to be answered," underlines the regime.
The MINREX assures that theadvance negotiations with other governments, including that of the United States, "from which precise information has been requested about the events that occurred on the indicated date of the alleged events, and cooperation has been obtained from its authorities to provide elements that help clarify the situation of the Cuban doctors ".
However, he points out, "a response to that request is still awaited."
"The efforts will continue with the necessary persistence and rigor, through direct and indirect means, and with various interlocutors, without ruling out any opportunity to try to reach the full truth of what happened," the note concludes.
On February 17, the Arab group Al-Shabaab reported, through its Telegram channel, that "two Cuban prisoners" kidnapped in Somalia since 2019, Rodríguez Hernández and Herrera Correa, had died as a result of a drone attack. of the United States inside the city of Jilib, a stronghold of the terrorist organization's militants.
The independent news site Garowe Online echoed the news, although it assured that it had not been able to verify its veracity. However, several Arab media and African journalists replicated the information and posted an image that apparently corresponds to one of the doctors after the bombing.
After hearing the news of the alleged death of the doctors, the Cuban regime sent Lazo Hernández to Kenya as a High Level Special Envoy, in what was called "urgent efforts with the highest authorities of that country in the search for cooperation and clarification." ".
For its part, the United States government began an investigation to clarify whether an air attack carried out on February 15 against terrorists in Somalia could have caused the death of the two Cuban doctors.
In that sense, the Pentagon said it was reviewing reports on the possible deaths of both doctors during an airstrike by US forces near the Somali town of Jilib.
The operation was confirmed by the government of Somalia and by a spokesperson for AFRICOM (US Military Command in Africa), who also acknowledged having received reports about the alleged deaths of civilians in the offensive.
The lack of transparency on the issue of the release of the doctors was a constant all this time, and except on rare occasions, both the Cuban and Kenyan sides limited themselves to saying that the talks were continuing.
The scant information in this regard suggests that the doctors were kidnapped to provide health care to terrorists from the organization, which also requested 1.5 million dollars in exchange for their release.
The Kenyan government refused to pay any sum, because it would encourage these extremist groups to continue kidnapping doctors in exchange for financial compensation.
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