Tillerson To Launch New Investigation After Two Dozen Diplomats Suffer Mystery Illness

Ever since the communist Fidel Castro took power in Cuba, the United States refused to establish diplomatic ties with the island nation. With no economic or any other official relations with the US, it left the country isolated in the Western Hemisphere, which has resulted in poverty and poor conditions for citizens.

However, former President Obama announced a normalization of US-Cuba relations in 2014, which resulted in official diplomatic ties being established in 2015. Things have been going relatively smooth since, but a recent development may erode the fragile trust that’s been established thus far, as Cuba’s been suspected of an interesting “attack” on American diplomats in the country.

As reported at the Hill, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is establishing a panel to examine what US officials claim are attacks that have left two dozen US diplomats in Havana with mysterious ailments.

The acting assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Francisco Palmieri, said during a Senate hearing on Tuesday that Tillerson will put together an Accountability Review Board (ARB), which are assembled whenever a US diplomat is seriously injured while serving abroad.

This new investigation will likely dovetail with an already ongoing inquiry by the FBI, looking into what might have caused two dozen US personnel in Havana to experience symptoms ranging from hearing loss to nausea to severe headaches.

“I would also like to emphasize up front that the investigation into these health attacks is ongoing,” Palmieri told a subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“The purpose of an ARB is to determine whether incidents are security related, to review our security policies and procedures to determine if they were adequate and properly implemented, and assess whether any individual misconduct or unsatisfactory performance contributed to the incidents,” a State Department official said. “An ARB does not supersede or replace law enforcement investigations into incidents.”

As it stands, the State Department has confirmed 24 cases of the mystery sickness among its Havana workers, with the first case being reported in fall 2016. The ongoing ailments caused Tillerson to withdraw most US diplomatic personnel from Cuba in September, which then led to several Cuban diplomats being kicked out of Washington as well.

While Tillerson hasn’t accused the government of being behind the attacks, he has said that he Cuban government could have prevented them, citing the nation’s obligations to protect its foreign diplomats.

The incident has strained the already fragile relations between the two nations. Depending on the result of the investigation, they could be eroded further. One thing is for sure, this isn’t the best way to start a relationship after being enemies for the last half-century

Source: Hill