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Ramiro Valdes, one of Fidel Castro’s earliest allies and a prominent figure in the Cuban Revolution, has died at the age of 94, according to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel. The announcement was made on social media on Sunday, though no cause of death was disclosed.
Valdes was celebrated in Cuba as a revolutionary hero and remained one of the country’s most influential political figures for decades after the 1959 revolution. He held the honorary titles of “Hero of the Republic” and “Commander of the Revolution” and served on the powerful Political Bureau of the Cuban Communist Party until 2019.
In a tribute posted on X, Diaz-Canel described Valdes’ passing as a profound personal loss, saying it “hurts deeply, like that of a father,” and ended his message with the revolutionary slogan, “Until victory, always, Commander!”
Born on April 28, 1932, Valdes joined Fidel Castro in the failed 1953 attack on the Moncada Barracks, a key event that sparked the movement against Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista. After a period of exile in Mexico, he was among the 82 revolutionaries who returned to Cuba aboard the yacht Granma in 1956. Only a handful survived the journey and subsequent fighting, including Fidel Castro, Raul Castro, and Ernesto “Che” Guevara.
Valdes later fought in the Sierra Maestra mountains and served as Guevara’s deputy commander. He played a significant role in the Battle of Santa Clara, a decisive victory that helped bring down Batista’s government.
Following the revolution, Valdes led Cuba’s security apparatus and held several senior government positions, including interior minister, vice minister of defense, minister of information and communications, vice president, and deputy prime minister. In recent years, he focused on addressing Cuba’s ongoing energy crisis and remained active in government affairs.
Known for his unwavering loyalty to the Cuban Revolution and the Communist Party, Valdes consistently emphasized national unity. His death marks the loss of one of the last surviving leaders from the generation that transformed Cuba’s political landscape.
