"Cuban Five" to visit Africa

The "Cuban Five," a group of intelligence agents jailed in the United States for more than 16 years, will start a visit to three African countries next week, a member of the group said on Wednesday.

The five people are scheduled to visit South Africa, Namibia and Angola from June 21 to July 8, the state-run news agency Prensa Latina quoted Fernando Gonzalez as saying Wednesday.

Gonzalez, who is also vice president of Cuba's Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, said they were invited by the African National Congress, South Africa's ruling party, and some regional organizations.

During the visit, he said, they will meet with Cuban aid workers, local groups and celebrities in the three African nations.

The five agents were arrested by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation in Miami in 1998 and convicted of spying on U.S. soil without permission with harsh penalties ranging from 15 years to life imprisonment.

However, they only admitted that they worked for the Cuban government to monitor "exiled Cuban groups."

Rene Gonzalez, another member of the group, and Fernando Gonzalez were released after completing their sentences in 2013 and 2014 respectively, while the remaining three were released last December as part of a prisoner swap following a decision by Washington and Havana to reestablish diplomatic relations. Endi