Cuban Parliament President to Kenya to Clarify Presumed Death of Doctors
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Cuban Parliament President Esteban Lazo travelled to Kenya to urgently address along Kenyan authorities the clarification of recent reports about the presumed and unconfirmed death of two Cuban doctors, previously abducted on April 12, 2019 by militants of the Al-Shabaab Islamist group.
A statement by the Cuban Foreign Ministry reads that since the news about the death of doctors Assel Herrera Correa and Landy Rodríguez Hernández was learned, the Cuban government prioritized all actions through diverse ways and international factors to get objective information about the case, in order to get confirmation of the announced event.
Cuban authorities contacted the Kenyan government on Sunday, February 18 and official contacts have also been established with the Somali government about precise information on military operations, which reportedly took place in the area where the two doctors presumably were staying, the statement reads.
Media reports citing the US African Command (AFRICOM) say that the event took place on the night of February 15, while a US drone attack targeted the locality of Dilib, in Somalia, site where the kidnaped doctors were said to stay. The information on the drone attack was confirmed on February 19 by an AFRICOM spokesperson, according to a CNN report.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry addressed the US administration on official channels on February 18 to get clarification on the case without having no reply yet.
No public statement by the US administration or the US armed forces has been issued to confirm the news about the two kidnapped Cuban doctors or to reject such information.
There is no information about the circumstances and details of the military operation confirmed by the AFRICOM spokesperson, if it was justified, and appropriatley aimed to avoid collateral damage, protect innocent civilians and the due respect for international humanitarian law.
This is an issue about which international organizations have expressed concern, the statement by the Cuban Foreign Minister concludes.
