HAVANA (Somaliguardian) – The Cuban government has on Wednesday denied reports published by several news agencies that Cuban doctors Landy Rodríguez and Assel Herrera, kidnapped by Al-Shabaab armed group in Kenya in 2019, were released.
In a press statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cuba denied reports about the release of kidnapped doctors.
Juan Antonio Fernández, a senior official with the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denied the release of the doctors on Twitter and said that “efforts were underway to ensure the release and safe return of the doctors”.
The two doctors had been abducted on April 12, 2019 in the northeastern Kenyan city of Mandera, an area bordering Somalia where Al-Shabaab militant group operates and carries out attacks targeting Kenyan troops.
Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez posted a tweet on Monday in which he thanked Kenya for its “relentless efforts” to free the doctors.
Meanwhile, Somalia’s acting FM Ahmed Eise Awad has denied media reports that the Cuban doctors were released from captivity and informed press that his government was part of efforts to facilitate their release.
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