The Cuban government, apart from its own…

The Cuban government, apart from its own army, can rely on the Voluntary Corps, which had been created a few years earlier to face the announced invasion by Narcisco López and which becomes notorious for its barbaric and bloody acts.

One infamous incident is the execution, on November 27, 1871, of eight medical students from the University of Havana, who had been accused (without evidence) of the desecration of a Spanish grave.

In another incident, the so-called "Creciente de Valmaseda", farmers (Guajiros), and the families of Mambises are killed or captured en masse and sent to concentration camps.