Santiago de Cuba remembers armed uprising of 1956

 

Cuba remembers today the armed uprising carried out 68 years ago in Santiago de Cuba by the 26th of July Movement to support Fidel Castro’s landing on the Granma yacht on the southeastern coast of the country.

The action, led by Frank País in 1956, had the purpose of distracting the forces of the Fulgencio Batista tyranny (1952-1959) in Oriente, to support the arrival of the 82 expeditionaries and foster a climate of insurrectional struggle throughout the country.

The members of the 26th of July Movement (M-26-7) left Tuxpan, Mexico, on November 25 of that year and planned to arrive on the Cuban coast by Las Coloradas on the 30th to restart the armed struggle in the mountains of the Sierra Maestra.

Conceived by Fidel Castro in its general part, the plan foresaw actions in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba and in the rest of the island, which would hinder the transfer of the Batista army to the landing zone.

The delay in navigation due to bad weather meant that the arrival of the boat did not occur on November 30, but on December 2.

However, the heroic actions of several dozen young people in Santiago de Cuba, wearing for the first time the olive green uniform with the insignia of the M-26-7, showed the rebel effervescence in the country, which was also confirmed by subsequent events.

With information from Prensa Latina.