Cuba Marks Revolutionary Anniversary Amid Raul Castro’s Notable Absence

Cuba organized a traditional rally on Sunday to mark a pivotal revolutionary anniversary, though former president Raul Castro was conspicuously absent.

This marked the first time in at least three decades that the 95‑year‑old Castro has missed the ceremony, with no official explanation provided. President Miguel Díaz‑Canel read a congratulatory message from Castro to his fellow countrymen during the rally in Pinar del Río.

The annual observance honors the July 26, 1953 assault led by Fidel and Raul Castro on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks in eastern Cuba.

Although the operation against former dictator Fulgencio Batista ultimately failed, it inaugurated the revolutionary struggle that culminated in the triumph of January 1, 1959.

Castro’s most recent public appearances were in June, at an event establishing the Ministry of the Interior, and on May 1, when Labor Day was commemorated.

Though he holds no official government roles, Castro’s symbolic stature remains strong, and he has recently been identified as one of the negotiators engaged in talks with the United States after a US energy embargo was imposed.

Confronted by a crowd of hundreds waving Cuban flags on Sunday morning, Díaz‑Canel dismissed a recent State Department report accusing Cuba of operating a leftist espionage and influence network against the United States and Latin America for decades.

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