Why Is the US Going After Cuba's Raúl Castro 30 Years On? #Cuba #US #Havana #BBCNews

Why It Matters

The indictment risks further straining US–Cuba ties and could complicate diplomatic or humanitarian channels as the US seeks to force political and economic change via sanctions; it also highlights how historical incidents are being leveraged in current geopolitical pressure campaigns.

Summary

The US has filed a murder charge against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro over a 1996 episode in which Cuban MiG fighters shot down two civilian planes flown by the US-based group Brothers to the Rescue. Washington alleges Castro, then head of the armed forces, conspired to murder US citizens; Havana rejects the legal basis of the accusation. The move revives a decades-old flashpoint in bilateral relations and comes amid an intensified US pressure campaign under the Trump administration, including a near-total oil blockade imposed since January. Many Cubans, however, are more immediately preoccupied with shortages and survival than renewed legal actions against former officials.