Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption Fidel Castro led the Communist revolution in Cuba in 1959

"History will judge the enormous impact" of Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro on the world, US President Barack Obama has said.

The death of Castro, one of the world's longest-serving leaders, was announced by his brother Raul on Friday night.

Castro came to power in 1959, and ushered in a Communist revolution. He defied the US for decades, surviving many assassination plots.

Supporters said he returned Cuba to the people. Critics called him a dictator.