mexico city<u+2014>cuba<u+2019>s former dictator fidel castro has died, his brother and successor ra<u+00fa>l castro said on national television late friday, sparking mourning among some cubans and celebration among exiles that fled his regime. <u+201c>with profound pain i am here to tell our people, our friends in the americas, and the world that today<u+2026>at 10:29 at night our commander in chief of the cuban revolution, fidel castro ruz, passed away,<u+201d> president ra<u+00fa>l castro said in the broadcast. the cuban president, who took over from his brother in 2008 , said his elder brother<u+2019>s remains will be cremated. ra<u+00fa>l<u+00a0>castro, dressed in military fatigues rather than a suit, closed his remarks with cuba<u+2019>s revolutionary slogan: hasta la victoria siempre! (onward to victory always). several foreign leaders offered condolences, with leaders of both russia and china mourning the loss of a <u+201c>sincere friend.<u+201d> but many of the statements from around the globe were tempered as the world took stock of a man who rose to fame through revolution, becoming a fiery rival to the u.s. during the cold war. he overthrew one dictator only to become the region<u+2019>s longest serving strongman , at 49 years. <u+201c>fidel castro is the last great figure of the 20th century,<u+201d> said former mexican foreign minister jorge casta<u+00f1>eda. <u+201c>he was without a doubt the most important latin american of his age, one who left his mark<u+2014>i think for worse<u+2014>on the region.<u+201d> the elder castro<u+2019>s death wasn't unexpected. he had been battling intestinal disease for a decade, and was in declining health. his last public appearance was in august to celebrate his 90th birthday, and he looked increasingly frail. citizens were never told exactly what ailed their former leader. and it took hours for news of the death to spread across havana, where the streets were silent, according to yoani s<u+00e1>nchez, cuba<u+2019>s best-known independent journalist. cuban state television, meanwhile, broadcast special documentary footage of the dead leader. <u+201c>silence spreads. it<u+2019>s dawn, but you can feel the fear in the air. complicated days are coming,<u+201d> ms. s<u+00e1>nchez wrote in a post on twitter. the scenes were more jubilant among the millions of cubans who fled mr. castro<u+2019>s regime in the past decades. cuban-americans along miami<u+2019>s calle ocho took to the streets to honk horns and wave cuban and american flags, according to televised images. <u+201c>this is the end of one cycle and the start of a new one,<u+201c> said emilio morales, head of the miami-based havana consulting group, a cuba business consultancy. <u+201c>after 55 years in power, a generation is beginning to disappear and something new is about to happen.<u+201d> <u+201c>it was time that fidel castro died,<u+201d> a bald man wearing a blue pullover told channel 23, a miami spanish-language broadcaster. <u+201c>he had been oppressing the cuban people for 57 years.<u+201d> cuban-american politicians who have based their careers on a strident opposition to mr. castro also celebrated and expressed hope for change. <u+201c>the tyrant is dead and a new dawn can begin across the last bastion of communism in the western hemisphere,<u+201d> said rep. ileana ros-lehtinen (r., fla.) said in a statement. communist party officials making the funeral arrangements said saturday that the homage to the revolutionary leader would formally begin monday in the country<u+00b4>s capital, and would include a rally at havana<u+00b4>s revolution square on tuesday. his ashes would then be carried to santiago de cuba province, a route that recalls, in reverse, mr. castro<u+00b4>s march to victory in 1959. mr. castro<u+00b4>s burial ceremony will take place dec. 4 in santiago<u+00b4>s santa ifigenia cemetery. mr. castro<u+2019>s death comes at an uncertain time for cuba, where the election of donald trump as president had already raised questions about the diplomatic and economic opening under cuba<u+2019>s ra<u+00fa>l castro and u.s. president barack obama. the white house, in a statement saturday , focused on u.s. efforts to rebuild the relationship, saying, <u+201c>at this time of fidel castro<u+2019>s passing, we extend a hand of friendship to the cuban people.<u+201d> on mr. castro<u+2019>s record, the statement said, <u+201c>history will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and world around him.<u+201d> mr. trump issued a brief comment on twitter , saying, <u+201c>fidel castro is dead!<u+201d> he added in a statement: <u+201c>though the tragedies, deaths and pain caused by fidel castro cannot be erased, our administration will do all it can to ensure the cuban people can finally begin their journey toward prosperity and liberty.<u+201d> <u+201c>the most important developments that we<u+2019>ll see after fidel<u+2019>s death have to do with cuba<u+2019>s communist party,<u+201d> said arturo lopez-levy, a cuba expert at the university of texas, rio grande valley. <u+201c>without fidel<u+2019>s charisma, the ruling party will now base its legitimacy on nationalism and economic results.<u+201d> cuba<u+2019>s economy, however, has been hurting with the economic decline of its key ally, venezuela, where the late hugo ch<u+00e1>vez had modeled his revolution on cuban ideals. venezuela has cut back on free shipments of oil that gave the cuban regime an economic lifeline. with the decline of venezuela, the younger mr. castro also began pushing a series of economic reforms, allowing cubans to set up their own small businesses , for instance. the death of the elder castro could allow his brother to press ahead with those changes, which analysts believed were opposed by the elder castro. <u+201c>maybe raul will have a freer hand now,<u+201d> said mr. casta<u+00f1>eda, the former mexican foreign minister. the island has also become more dependent on the u.s., receiving more than $3.5 billion in remittances each year, and a similar amount in merchandise sent by cuban americans to relatives, according to mr. morales, of the havana consulting group. both items combined surpass cuba<u+2019>s total exports over one year. <u+201c>no one would have imagined such scenario five years ago,<u+201d> mr. morales said. <u+201c>after days of mourning and solemnity, we<u+2019>ll see a cuba moving forward. along with the challenge linked to the rapprochement and the uncertainty linked to a trump presidency, this makes things more interesting.<u+201d> mr. casta<u+00f1>eda said it was ironic that while mr. castro<u+2019>s death would open a vigorous debate in the hemisphere about the pros and cons of his revolution, the only place where that debate wouldn't be permitted would be in cuba. <u+2014> santiago perez contributed to this article. write to david luhnow at david.luhnow@wsj.com
fidel castro, former cuban strongman, dies - wsj
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