Government of Cuba seeks to clarify the situation of doctors kidnapped in Kenya

Havana, Feb 21 (RHC) The Cuban government this Tuesday appointed the president of the National Assembly of People's Power, Esteban Lazo, as High-Level Special Envoy, to clarify the situation of two doctors kidnapped since twenty nineteen in Kenya.

Unofficial media recently published reports about the alleged death of Cuban doctors Assel Herrera and Landy Rodríguez during a bombing by the United States army of positions of the terrorist group of Somali origin Al-Shabaab, which took them prisoner in April twenty nineteen.

According to a statement from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs -MINREX-, the head of Parliament will make urgent representations to the highest authorities of the African nation, seeking cooperation and clarification of these unconfirmed news.

The ministry specifies that from the first hours of receiving the news, the Cuban government gives absolute priority to the efforts that, through various means and different international actors, are carried out in order to obtain the most objective information regarding the facts.

This action will continue until all possibilities to confirm the situation of the Cuban doctors are exhausted.

The statement details that, in this context, since February eighteen and in addition to the efforts and communication with the Kenyan government, official contacts were initiated with Somalia in search of precision about the military operations reported through unofficial channels.

These media cite the United States African Command (AFRICOM), which reports that the event occurred on the night of February fifteen during the aforementioned bombing with American drones in the town of Dilib, in Somalia.

MINREX explains that Cuba addressed the United States government through diplomatic channels on Sunday, February eighteen, seeking clarification and is still awaiting a response. So far there is no public statement from the US government or its armed forces that confirms or denies the news that involves the Cuban health collaborators.

Likewise, MINREX warns that the circumstances and characteristics of the military operation that the Africom spokesperson confirms have occurred are unknown, as well as whether this operation was justified, and whether the obligatory care was taken to avoid collateral damage, protect civilians and innocents, and due respect for international humanitarian law.

This type of action constitutes an issue about which international organizations have expressed serious concerns in the past, the note concludes. (Source: PL)