Cuba essentially has an "occupation army" in Venezuela with 15,000 Cubans who currently inhabit the South American country, Secretary General of the Organization of American States Luis Almagro said in a Senate hearing this week.
"There are currently about 15,000 Cubans in Venezuela," Almagro said during his testimony before U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday, Panapost reported Thursday. "It's like an occupation army from Cuba in Venezuela."
Almagro has strongly condemned the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Protests against the government have increased since April. Over 100 have died and more than 360 arrested in opposition protests against Maduro, who has argued for a new constitution for the country, BBC News reported Friday.
"If we don't seek to free the prisoners and restore power in Venezuela, there will be no solution to the problem," Almagro told the panel.
Almagro said he favored sanctions against Maduro's regime in order to calm the crisis of the Venezuelan people.
"It is not a question of dismantling a dictatorship and returning to democracy," he said. "It is about a whole structure of drug trafficking in the state."
Almagro also tweeted his thoughts on the international outcry against Maduro's government, stating (translated), "The international community has taken away the regime's impunity. Their disregard for constitutional order has become apparent," and "The #Venezuela regime has blood on its hands and should be held accountable for that."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.