Cuba has once again pointed a finger at the US over the prolonged delays in clarifying the fate of two doctors kidnapped in Madera in 2019 and suspected to have been in an area bombed by the US African Command (AFRICOM) last year.

Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez has, however, revealed that the efforts continue to clarify the situation of the two Cuban doctors, saying talks are still ongoing.

In a post on his official X page, Rodriguez noted that the country was marking six years since the two doctors were abducted and that their whereabouts were still a priority for the Cuban government.

"Six years ago, Cuban doctors Assel and Landy were kidnapped in Kenya while on an internationalist mission. Efforts to clarify the situation continue, with the ongoing attention and commitment of the highest level of the Party and the Government of Cuba," he wrote.

A photo collage of Assel Herrera Correa and Landy Rodríguez Hernández abducted in Mandera in 2019.

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Bruno Rodriguez

The post failed to expound on exactly which measures were being put in place to ensure that the two, Assel Herrera Correa and Landy Rodríguez Hernández, would return home and whether or not they were alive.

This comes even as the Caribbean nation continues to blame the United States of America for failing to provide the necessary information a year after the US African Command (AFRICOM) attacked an Al Shabaab camp where the two were suspected to be held.

A report from the official media outlet Prensa Latina elaborated that after an airstrike by AFRICOM on February 15, 2024, news broke that the two doctors had been killed.

However, the Cuban government noted that, despite numerous efforts to obtain information from the US, none was presented that would allow for definitive conclusions and clarify whether the doctors were still alive or confirm their deaths.

"Given the nature of the conflict in Somalia and the impossibility of obtaining confirmation, in recent weeks the Cuban government has repeatedly requested, through direct communications and diplomatic notes, precise information from the United States government regarding the events that occurred," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

After the airstrike, confusion reigned in the country, with the Cuban President, Miguel Diaz-Canel, being forced to address the news circulating on social media.

“I express all my solidarity and affection to the families of our doctors Assel and Landy in these moments of uncertainty and increased pain, in the face of the tragic news not yet confirmed, in whose clarification we are working hard with international authorities,” the president stated. 

He promised to ensure that the country does not forget the two and that efforts to recover the two who were kidnapped on their way to Mandera Hospital in the presence of armed escorts would remain a priority.

Six years later, the Cuban government still blames the US for not providing detailed information on whether the doctors were found alive. With a new administration in Washington, this issue may once again take a back seat as President Donald Trump advocates for his America First agenda.

Doctors from Cuba pose for a photo after they arrive at the Malpensa airport in Milan, Italy, on March 22, 2020.

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Human Rights Watch