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The former general of the Cuban Air Force, Rafael del Pino Díaz, described GAESA as the core of a "mafia state" that controls the country's main financial resources and called on officers and troops of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) to rebel against the leadership that, according to him, has hijacked the institutions.
In an article reproduced by the think tank Cuba Siglo 21, the Brigadier General (r) born in Pinar del Río (1938) renewed the appeal of the Cuban movement of Military Conscientious Objectors to initiate an insubordination that would end the regime.
The catalyst for this new statement is the recent leak of internal financial documents revealing that the Business Administration Group S.A. (GAESA) —the conglomerate controlled by the Cuban elite— holds over 18 billion dollars in liquid assets, a figure surpassing the international reserves of several Latin American countries.
For the combat pilot who distinguished himself in actions in Girón and Angola and who escaped to the United States in 1987, this information contradicts the official narrative that attributes the crisis solely to the U.S. embargo or external factors.
"State within the State" and oligarchic control
In his text, Del Pino argued that a "kleptocratic oligarchy," formed by a select group of military personnel and technocrats aligned with the Castro family, has created a state within a state, controlling political appointments and military leadership while appropriating the most lucrative economic sectors.
At the same time, he stated that the FAR have been used as a "cover" to conceal the true private nature of GAESA, with companies registered in Panama and accounts in tax havens.
Contrary to popular belief, Del Pino asserted, the FAR do not actually control GAESA; rather, they have been discredited by their obedience to a chain of command that makes them complicit in repression.
As an example of his statement, the expert from Cuba Siglo XXI mentioned the case of General Leopoldo Cintras Frías, former minister of the FAR, who —according to Del Pino— lost his positions after uncovering the true structure of the corporation that was camouflaged among the offices of the MINFAR.
Call to nationalize and dissolve GAESA
The former general suggested that GAESA should be nationalized, intervened, audited, and dissolved as an oligopolistic corporation, as it represents the economic power of the new ruling class.
Del Pino stated that this elite uses the FAR and the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) as private armies to support the regime, while the government of Miguel Díaz-Canel acts as a political facade.
Additionally, she denounced that the oligarchy has plunged 89% of the population into poverty, which suffers from blackouts, devalued salaries and pensions, shortages of food and medicine, and a Penal Code that punishes even peaceful protests on social media.
Military rebellion and opposition coalition
In this regard, Del Pino once again urged the officials and soldiers of the FAR to exercise “the sacred right of insubordination” to protect the population against repression. He also called for the formation of a coalition of civilian and military forces to lead a democratic transition based on free elections, the rule of law, and economic freedoms.
He also warned that the change will only be acceptable if it is accompanied by a genuine process of national reconstruction, and not a "fake change" under the control of sectors within the regime itself. According to him, the leaks about GAESA could be the work of the corporation itself or a military intelligence group seeking to instigate a controlled shift, similar to the transition model promoted by Vladimir Putin in Russia.
Distrust in any "opening" from the regime
Finally, the former general warned that a "fraudulent change" strategy would clash with a population that would not trust agreements forged by their oppressors, and he reminded that the Helms-Burton Act in the U.S. establishes precise conditions for recognizing a political change in Cuba as valid, leaving no room for cosmetic operations.
For Del Pino, the only clear thing is that "among individuals and groups associated with the power elite, the notion that the system has collapsed is spreading," and that sectors within the regime are trying to get ahead of the democratic forces to control the future.
In his conclusion, he emphasized that the responsibility to change the regime lies with the Cubans, "first and foremost with those who wear a uniform and still call themselves protectors of national sovereignty," urging them to "turn their weapons against the oligarchy" and return to the people the wealth "stolen from the national heritage."
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