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The Cuban opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer, head of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), reported this Sunday a new episode of forced recruitment of young people in Santiago de Cuba, amidst the escalating tension between Havana and Washington following the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
Through his account on X (formerly Twitter), Ferrer warned that regime agents are taking young people "against their will" to enlist them in the Active Military Service (SMA), a legal obligation that has, in practice, turned into a tool for political control and repression.
"Yesterday, forced recruitments continued in Santiago de Cuba. This photo was taken in Altamira, my neighborhood in Santiago. Several mothers have called me in despair, and I tell all of them: Defend your children, report that they are being taken to serve as soldiers for the tyranny," wrote the opposition figure.
The message from Ferrer comes at a time of great fragility for the Cuban regime, which is facing increasing international pressure and sanctions from the government of Donald Trump, following the fall of the Maduro regime in Venezuela, its main political ally and oil supplier.
Analysts suggest that the regime aims to strengthen its military structures in anticipation of a potential scenario involving civil disobedience or protests, in a country suffocated by an economic crisis, power outages, and social discontent.
According to the official encyclopedia EcuRed, Military Service in Cuba is mandatory for males over 18 years old, but human rights organizations have reported its coercive nature, particularly in impoverished areas of the eastern part of the country.
As tensions with the United States escalate, Ferrer's words reignite the fears of many Cuban families who see how their children may once again be used as shields for the military power that upholds the regime.
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