One of the original protagonists of the Cuban revolution, Juan Almeida Bosque, has died

international | miscellaneous | news report

Saturday September 12, 2009 15:52

by IshtarCelt

Almeida Dies of heart failure

One of the original protagonists of the Cuban revolution, Juan Almeida Bosque, has died of heart failure at the age of 82, according to state media.

Almeida was one of several vice-presidents in the Council of State under Raul Castro.

He was the only black commander in the Cuban leadership.

From a poor Havana neighbourhood, Almeida was in the group of guerrillas led by Fidel Castro which eventually seized power in Cuba in 1959.

Almeida top right

One of the original protagonists of the Cuban revolution, Juan Almeida Bosque, has died of heart failure at the age of 82, according to state media.

Almeida was one of several vice-presidents in the Council of State under Raul Castro. He was the only black commander in the Cuban leadership.

From a poor Havana neighbourhood, Almeida was in the group of guerrillas led by Fidel Castro which eventually seized power in Cuba in 1959.

He went on to become a general in the armed forces, a member of the politburo of the Communist Party and the third-ranking member in the Council of State.

State-run media announced his death, declaring he would remain "in the hearts and minds of his compatriots". Sunday has been declared a national

day of mourning, and flags will be flown at half-mast. There will be no lying-in-state, in accordance with Almeida's wishes. He will be given a military funeral

at a later date.

Almeida - a former construction worker - reportedly became friends with Fidel Castro while studying at the University of Havana in 1952.

Cuban President Raul Castro, left, and Vice President Juan Almeida Bosque attend a session of the National Assembly of Popular Power in Havana, on 1

August 2009. Almeida could often be seen at the side of Fidel and Raul Castro. He participated in the failed 1953 assault on the Moncada military barracks

in Santiago de Cuba, and was among those sent to jail. Following an amnesty, the rebels were released and in 1956 they went to Mexico to regroup and

prepare for a fresh assault. Almeida was on board the Granma boat when it sailed back to Cuba carrying the small group of fighters that would launch the

insurrectionary campaign from the Sierra Maestra mountains. He was promoted to the rank of commander during the mountain campaign. Outnumbered in

one of the early battles, Juan Almeida is said to have stormed to the front shouting, "Here, nobody surrenders!"

It became a slogan of the revolution.