GAESA evicts residents of Cayo Saetía to dedicate the area to tourism in Cuba

GAESA, the military consortium that controls the Cuban economy, is promoting the eviction of the residents of Cayo Saetía, in Holguín, to dedicate the area exclusively to the development of thetourism in Cuba.

Cayo Saetia It is destined to become the second Varadero in Cuba, with numerous hotels, foreign visitors and the smallest number of residents possible.

Hegradual eviction of residents In the area they are carrying it out with the promise of relocation to new properties, so that they have a better quality of life, but thenGAESA does not keep its promisesThis is what a citizen recently reported.

The complex scenario was revealed byHector Luis Pupo Quiala, a young man suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, who shared his experience withCubanet, pointing out the difficulties imposed by the local government on the residents, to the point of inducing "voluntary" departure.

Pupo Quiala reported that the authorities are seeking to empty the area to avoid the presence of the local community. He and his family were assigned a home in Antilla.

He described a continued fight against his illness amid poor medical care and a lack of adequate medication in the key. During visits by officials to the region, he took the opportunity to expose his medical needs and lack of care, and his efforts to obtain treatment were unsuccessful.

He denounced the unfulfilled promise of receiving two homes in Antilla, one for him and his mother and another for his sister and her children. GAESA only gave them a house.

Desperate for an improvement in his quality of life, he decided to sell everything and move to Havana, but found similar shortages in medical care.

CyberCuba since 2021 reported thesituation in Cayo Saetía, a well-known tourist destination and rest area for important figures such as Raúl Castro, which reflects a broad scheme of forced displacement.

This pattern is also observed in the townRamón de Antilla, where families are evicted to make way for large-scale tourism projects led by GAESA.

Discontent is palpable among residents, who face the loss of their homes and livelihoods, in a context where investment in tourism appears to be prioritized over the well-being of the local community.

Although some families agree to move to new apartments in exchange for apparent improvements in their quality of life, many regret it, due to few employment options and changes in their living environment.

The testimonies of the inhabitants of El Ramón de Antilla and the complaints on social networks about coercion and intimidation during the evictions illustrate the growing tension between the interests of the State and the rights of citizens to remain on their lands.

This conflict highlights the dissonance between regime-driven tourism development and the preservation of local communities, whose lives and livelihoods are disrupted without adequate compensation or real opportunities to integrate into the economic growth promised by such projects.

This scenario in Holguín is a microcosm of a broader problem in Cuba, where economic development policies are often implemented at the expense of the most vulnerable, leaving open questions about equity and social justice in national progress strategies.