Venezuela reduces Cuban security presence following Washington pressure

Cuban security advisers and medical personnel have begun leaving Venezuela as the government of Interim President Delcy Rodríguez faces mounting pressure from Washington to dismantle one of Latin America’s most significant left-wing alliances, according to 11 sources familiar with the situation, cited by Reuters.

Rodríguez has reportedly shifted responsibility for her personal protection to Venezuelan bodyguards, four sources said. This marks a departure from the practices of former president Nicolás Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chávez, both of whom relied heavily on elite Cuban security forces.

According to the Cuban government, 32 Cuban nationals were killed during the US military operation on January 3 that resulted in Maduro’s capture. Those killed included soldiers and bodyguards operating under a long-standing security arrangement between Caracas and Havana established in the late 2000s. Under that agreement, Cuban intelligence personnel were embedded across Venezuela’s military structures as well as within the powerful DGCIM military counterintelligence agency, which played a central role in suppressing domestic opposition.

Alejandro Velasco, an associate professor of history at New York University and a specialist on Venezuela, said Cuban involvement had been critical to maintaining Chavista rule. “The Cuban influence was absolutely essential” to the government’s survival, he noted.

A former Venezuelan intelligence official said some Cuban advisers working inside DGCIM have already been removed from their posts. Two sources added that several Cuban medical workers and security advisers have departed Venezuela for Cuba on flights in recent weeks.

One source close to Venezuela’s ruling party said the departures were ordered by Rodríguez in response to US pressure. Other sources, however, said it remains unclear whether Cuban personnel are being expelled by the new leadership, leaving voluntarily, or being recalled by Havana.

By Tamilla Hasanova