Rodríguez also decided to replace the Cuban bodyguards with Venezuelan security agents
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The Venezuelan transition regime ordered the withdrawal of the security advisers and Cuban intelligence agents, who began leaving the country in recent weeks, in a move that marks a significant shift in the alliance between Caracas and Havana.
This major shift is taking place while interim leader Delcy Rodríguez faces intense pressure from Donald Trump's administration to dismantle what the United States considers the most important leftist alliance in Latin America, following the capture of former narco-terrorist dictator Nicolás Maduro.
The pullback includes security advisers who were previously embedded in key units such as the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM), who traveled back to Cuba on recent flights, according to sources familiar with the matter.
La dictadura cubana.
According to reports, Rodríguez decided to replace the Cuban bodyguards who protected Chavista leaders with Venezuelan security agents. This measure contrasts with the previous practice under Maduro's regime and his predecessor, dictator Hugo Chávez, who depended on Cuban forces for their personal protection.
Cuban influence
The presence of Cuban agents in Venezuela dates back to the late 2000s, when a security agreement was built that allowed Cuba to infiltrate agents into different branches of the Bolivarian army and into the DGCIM, where they played a central role in the persecution of the internal opposition.
The exit process isn't uniform. While some Cubans have already returned to Havana on recent flights, others continue to be removed from their posts, according to former Venezuelan intelligence officials. Even within DGCIM itself, some agents were dismissed.
Delcy Rodríguez, líder del régimen venezolano de transición.
U.S. pressure
The shift comes after a U.S. military operation on January 3 that ended with Maduro's capture, in which, according to Havana, 32 Cuban personnel who were part of the security and bodyguard corps of the former Chavista dictator were killed.
Since then, the U.S. administration has been increasing diplomatic and political pressure for the relationship between Venezuela and Cuba to "completely unravel". In January, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: "Cuba lived, for many years, off large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela. In return, Cuba provided "Security Services" to the last two Venezuelan dictators, BUT NO LONGER!".
In addition, Washington took economic measures to restrict the shipment of Venezuelan oil to Cuba's communist dictatorship, a key piece of the bilateral bond that once sustained cooperation between both States, and that is now generating consequences on the island.
