Machurucuto incident

The Machurucuto incident, also known as the Invasion of Machurucuto, was a battle involving Venezuelan Army and National Guard troops against Cuban trained guerrillas. On 10 May 1967, a dozen guerrillas landed in Venezuela at the beach of Machurucuto. The Army of Venezuela and the National Guard engaged them on the night of 10 May and the battle lasted into 11 May. Two men were captured while the remaining were killed in battle. The guerrillas had completed paramilitary training in Cuba so they could recruit guerrillas in the Venezuelan Andes region to overthrow President Raúl Leoni.[1]

Machurucuto incident
Machurucuto
Machurucuto incident (Venezuela)
Date8 May 1967 – 11 May 1967
Location
Machurucuto, 70 miles east of Caracas, Venezuela
Result Venezuelan government victory
Belligerents
 Cuba
Venezuelan rebels		 Venezuelan National Guard
Army of Venezuela
Strength
12 200–300
Casualties and losses
10 dead
2 captured		 unknown

Events

Landing

On 8 May, twelve guerrillas arrived on the coast of Machurucuto in two rafts. While preparing to land one of the rafts capsized drowning one guerrilla. The rest disembarked on the coast and abandoned their rafts.

Confrontation with the Venezuelan army

A fisherman spotted the two rafts and notified the armed forces. They discovered and engaged the guerrillas on the evening of 10 May and the battle lasted until the morning of 11 May. In the fighting, ten guerrillas were killed and two captured; Venezuelan casualties are unknown.

Aftermath

Soon after, the government of President Raúl Leoni held a press conference denouncing Cuban aggression against Venezuela and showing the two captured Cubans, Manuel Gil Castellanos and Pedro Cabrera Torres. Cuba was denounced by Venezuela to the OAS. Cuba did not recognize the action even when the investigation of the AK47s in possession of the guerrillas were identified as weapons sold by Czechoslovakia to Cuba. The Government of Venezuela broke all relations with Cuba following the incident and with further relations not occurring until 1974.

See also

Notes
  1. "Latin America: Castro's Targets". Time. 19 May 1967. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 24 May 2020.

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