The government of the Dominican Republic ordered nine officials from the Cuban Embassy in Santo Domingo and their respective families to leave the country by next Sunday, August 16.
The decision affects a total of about 21 people, including nine Cuban diplomats, their wives, and children, according to the Dominican newspaper Listín Diario.
So far, the Dominican Foreign Ministry had not publicly explained the reasons for the measure. The mentioned outlet noted that an official statement was expected in the coming hours that could clarify the reasons for the ultimatum.
The order comes amid a noticeable cooling of relations between Santo Domingo and Havana, characterized in recent months by decisions and statements from the government of President Luis Abinader that indicate a shift in stance towards the Cuban regime.
In May of this year, Abinader stated that Cuba "is obviously not a democratic state". Two months later, the Dominican Republic abstained from the United Nations vote regarding the U.S. embargo on Cuba, which concluded with 136 votes in favor of the resolution against the sanctions, nine against, and 30 abstentions.
The distancing signals had begun earlier. In October 2025, Santo Domingo excluded the Cuban regime, along with Nicaragua and Venezuela, from the 10th Summit of the Americas, which was initially planned to take place in Punta Cana. The Dominican authorities argued at the time that the decision aimed to promote "the development of the forum." The meeting was subsequently suspended and rescheduled for 2026.
The forced departure of the nine officials and their families now marks a new chapter in diplomatic relations that span over a century.
Cuba and the Dominican Republic established diplomatic relations in 1902, although these were interrupted during the dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, amid his confrontations with Fidel Castro. Relations were definitively reestablished in 1998.
Until now, the Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs described them as relationships "based on deep historical, cultural, and solidarity ties."
The decision from Santo Domingo also comes in the context of increasing diplomatic isolation for Havana in several countries in the region during 2026.
In March, Ecuador expelled all staff from the Cuban diplomatic mission in Quito and granted a 48-hour deadline to leave the country. Havana responded by closing its embassy in the Ecuadorian capital.
That same month, Costa Rica closed its diplomatic representation in Havana and requested the Cuban regime to withdraw its personnel from San José.
Most recently, the president of Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, announced the severing of diplomatic relations with Cuba and Nicaragua as part of a plan that includes the closure of 14 embassies and 15 consulates.
In response to these episodes, the Cuban regime has described the measures as "arbitrary" and "unjustified" and has attributed them to pressures from the United States.
The decision by the Dominican Republic is particularly significant because it is not limited to individual officials: the families of the nine diplomats will also have to leave Dominican territory within the established timeframe.
At the close of this report, the Dominican Foreign Ministry had not yet released the announced official statement, so the formal reasons behind Luis Abinader's government ordering the departure of Cuban diplomats and their families remain unknown.
Filed under: