Reactions as Fidel Castro, Cuba’s Leader Of Revolution, Dies At 90
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Cuba’s former president and leader of the Communist revolution, Fidel Castro, has died aged 90.
“The commander in chief of the Cuban revolution died at 22:29 hours this evening (03:29 GMT Saturday),” President Raul Castro said.
Fidel Castro ruled Cuba as a one-party state for almost 50 years before Raul, his brother took over in 2008.
His supporters said he had given Cuba back to the people. But he was also accused of suppressing opposition.
He will be cremated on Saturday, November 26, Raúl Castro added.
Raul gave no cause to his death but ended the address with a revolutionary slogan.
Tributes have been paid by Latin American leaders including Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto and Ecuador’s president Rafael Correa.
India’s prime minister Narendra Modi said the news was “tragic”, describing Castro as “one of the most iconic personalities of the 20th century” and “a great friend”.
Imran Khan, former cricketer turned leader of Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party, said Castro was “an iconic revolutionary leader … who liberated his nation from all vestiges of imperialism”.
The Spanish government expressed its condolences to Cuba in a statement released this morning.
The Spanish foreign ministry, in a statement, said:
A figure of great historic importance has gone, a man who brought about a turning point in the country’s evolution and whose great influence was felt across the region. As the son of Spanish parents, former President Castro always maintained strong links with Spain and was bound by ties of blood and culture.
But celebrations broke out in Little Havana, the Miami neighbourhood home to many Cubans in exile in the US.
The crowd is cheering, dancing and waving Cuban flags. Cuban Americans in the street are hugging each other.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the first Cuban-American elected to Congress, said Castro was a “tyrant and thug” and hailed his death as an opportunity to “work for a Cuba that is free, democratic, and prosperous”.
Castro – who had survived many assassination plots – was the longest serving non-royal leader of the 20th Century.
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