“The landing of the Granma (yacht) is a historic event that expresses the heroism and courage of Commander Fidel Castro and a group of revolutionaries who charted the path of freedom for the Cuban people. From Venezuela, we embrace our brothers from invincible and dignified Cuba, “wrote the president in his Twitter account.

This day is also celebrated in Cuba as the Day of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR).

The arrival of the Granma yacht’s expedition with 82 men on board in the southeastern coast of Cuba 65 years ago, marked the beginning of a new stage in the fight against the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship (1952-1959) and the Cuban Revolution’s path to victory on January 1, 1959.

The landing was considered a feat because the expedition members, led by Fidel, had to do it in an intricate and muddy point on Cuba’s eastern coast that was not the expected one.

After the triumph of the Revolution, that date was considered the founding of the FAR, led until 2008 by the then commander (later Army General) Raul Castro.

jg/gas/ycv