Former Cuban President Fidel Castro Has Died

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro has died at the age of 90.

His brother and President Raul Castro, who made the announcement in a televised statement, said the late leader died at approximately 10:29 p.m. on Friday (November 25).

Fidel Castro, who led the island nation for almost 50 years, retired from active politics in 2008 due to illness.

He was a friend of Jamaica, first visiting the island in 1977, where he toured community projects in Kingston, St. Catherine, Trelawny, and St. James.

He again travelled to Kingston in May 1997 for the funeral of late former Prime Minister, Michael Manley.

His last visit was in September 2005 for the PetroCaribe Summit in Montego Bay.

Cuba has welcomed Jamaican prime ministers over the years, including the Most Hon. Michael Manley; the Most Hon. P.J. Patterson; Hon. Bruce Golding;, and the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, who was in Cuba in January 2014 for the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States Summit.  Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness attended the 7^th Association of Caribbean States Summit in Havana in June this year.

Jamaica has received assistance from Cuban in healthcare, education and sports.

Thousands of Jamaican students have been awarded scholarships to study in Cuba. The José Martí Technical High School and the G.C. Foster College were built by the Cuban Government. The Fidel Castro Campus of the Anchovy High School in Montpelier, St. James, was opened in 2015.

Jamaica has benefited from the services of Cuban doctors and nurses, and hundreds of persons with eye diseases have been treated under the Cuban Eye Care Programme.

A trained lawyer, Mr. Castro was praised as an intellectual, with a strong commitment to self-reliance and programmes that contribute to the social and economic development of countries in the region.