General of Division in Reserve Romárico Vidal Sotomayor García Passes Away

September 2, 2024

In the early morning hours of September 1st, General of Division in Reserve Romárico Vidal Sotomayor García passed away in La Habana at the age of 85. He was a combatant of the Rebel Army who served as a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, deputy to the National Assembly of People's Power, and held important positions in the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of Interior.

At age 18, he joined the Rebel Army in the Sierra Maestra under the orders of Commander Fidel Castro Ruz, and following the triumph of the Revolution, he fulfilled various missions and responsibilities in the FAR and MININT, including positions as Vice Minister of Interior, Chief of the General Direction of the Revolutionary National Police, Chief of the Political Direction of MININT, commander of several FAR units, Chief of Staff of the Eastern Army, and Chief of the Southern Troop Grouping in the People's Republic of Angola.

In the prologue written by General of the Army Raúl Castro Ruz for the book dedicated to the life of General of Division Sotomayor García, "Sin olvidar mis raíces," Raúl wrote: "There are no mysteries in how General Sotomayor has managed to successfully accomplish such diverse and complex missions," and he added that this success was fundamentally rooted in his "unconditional loyalty to our people, to the Homeland, to the Revolution, to his Commander in Chief and to those who have acted in his name; confidence in the decisions of his superiors and absolute commitment to fulfill them."

His merits made him worthy of the honorary title of Hero of the Republic of Cuba in November 2015, which was conferred upon him by the General of the Army, as well as numerous decorations and recognitions throughout his long and brilliant service record, among which stand out the Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos Order, the XX Anniversary of Moncada medals, Combatant of the War of Liberation, Combatant of the Clandestine Struggle, First Class International Combatant, the Calixto García, Ignacio Agramonte, Olo Pantoja, and Eliseo Reyes medals, along with many others that attest to the hero's achievements.

Sotomayor García had active participation in the Angola war from 1975, where he held high command positions. Subsequently, his career in Cuba led him to perform critical functions as chief of the Eastern Army's General Staff and, most notably, as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Interior, where he headed the direction of the Revolutionary National Police (PNR) until 2000. Under his command, the PNR became a key instrument for maintaining domestic order.