Cuba has entered an official state of national mourning following the deaths of 32 Cuban military personnel during what the government characterizes as a US-led offensive against Venezuela. The solemn period commenced at 6:00 a.m. local time today and will continue through midnight on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.
In a nationally televised address, President Miguel Diaz-Canel announced that all public events and activities across the island nation are suspended indefinitely. The Cuban flag will fly at half-staff on all government buildings and military installations as a symbol of collective grief.
The casualties occurred during early morning operations on January 3, when Cuban personnel stationed in Venezuela came under direct attack. According to President Diaz-Canel, the deceased were serving in official capacities as part of cooperative missions between Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces, Ministry of the Interior, and their Venezuelan counterparts.
‘With profound sorrow, our people have learned that during the criminal attack perpetrated by the United States government against the sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, 32 Cubans lost their lives in combat,’ the President stated in his formal declaration.
Diaz-Canel elaborated that the fallen personnel ‘honorably fulfilled their duty and fell, after fierce resistance, in direct combat against the attackers or as a result of the bombing of facilities.’ He further emphasized that through their ‘heroic actions, they upheld the solidarity of millions of our fellow citizens,’ framing their sacrifice within Cuba’s longstanding internationalist traditions.
The incident marks one of the most significant losses of Cuban military personnel abroad in recent decades and substantially escalates tensions between Havana and Washington.