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Fidel Castro makes first public appearance in almost a year after lambasting US President Barack Obama's visit to Cuba

Former Cuban president, 89, makes first public appearance since July
Fidel Castro handed over power to his brother, Raul, in 2008
Castro survived several assassination attempts by the US over the years
He recently criticised Obama's visit to the US and overtures by Americans

Published: 08:08 GMT, 8 April 2016 | Updated: 13:17 GMT, 8 April 2016

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Cuba's former president Fidel Castro has made his first appearance in nearly a year days after writing a fierce attack on US President Barack Obama.

Castro handed over power to his younger brother Raul in 2008 after a serious illness and has been seen less and less in public in recent years.

The 89-year-old was targeted for assassination by successive US governments after he overthrew Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959 and created a communist regime on the island.

Fidel Castro will be 90 in August this year but he has become increasingly frail in recent years and is rarely seen in public. There have been several false reports of his death in recent years

Obama visited the island recently, the first US president to visit Cuba since Castro's revolution, and a thaw in relations is under way between Washington and Havana.

But Castro wrote an article in a Cuban newspaper recently in which he said: 'We don't need the empire to give us any presents' and reminded Cubans of the years of hardship they had endured because of US sanctions.

Castro was pictured on state television visiting a school to mark the birthday of Vilma Espin, a revolutionary heroine who died in 2007.

Castro, who is seen as the father of the nation, was seen talking to pupils and teachers at the school, named after his sister-in-law Vilma Espin

The grey-bearded former revolutionary was seen sitting at a desk and talking with students and teachers at the school, named after Espin.

He said: 'I'm sure that on a day like today, Vilma would be happy.

'Everybody who dies fighting for the revolution leaves their energy on the way, they leave their effort and struggle.'

Castro remains a devout communist who is opposed to democracy. He is believed to resent the US which famously tried to oust his regime in the 1960s but a US-backed invasion was defeated at the Bay of Pigs

Obama and Raul Castro restored US-Cuban relations last years after half a century of being at loggerheads.

During his visit Obama declared the Cold War finally over and reached out to the Castro regime, even though the US trade embargo remains in place and Cuba is regularly accused of human rights abuses.

Castro, who often meets visiting foreign dignitaries at his home, did not come face to face with Obama, which suggests he is not happy with the recent thaw in relations with the US.

Fidel Castro's brother Raul (left) was all smiles when he met President Barack Obama in Havana recently. Obama has restored relations with Cuba despite opposition from anti-Castro Cuban emigres

He has not been seen in public since he visited the Ministry of Defence in July.

Next week the Cuban Communist Party is holding a congress which is expected to give clues as to the future of the country.

Raul Castro has said he plans to retire in 2018 and Cubans hope a new generation of politicians will speed up economic progress.

Fidel Castro handed over power to his brother in 2008 because of his failing health but he spent his life opposing the Americans and is clearly unhappy with the rapprochement with Washington

Many Cubans hope that Obama's visit to the island will augur an improvement in economic conditions in Cuba but it could well depend on whether Hillary Clinton or a Republican takes over in the White House