Addis Ababa, January 9, 2026.- Thirty two white roses and thirty two lit candles illuminated today the profound and moving tribute paid by the Cuban diplomatic and state mission in Ethiopia to the 32 Cuban combatants who fell during the United States military aggression against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Representatives from the embassies of Venezuela and Colombia, the Organization of Southern Cooperation, Cubans residing in Ethiopia, and Cuban friendship associations gathered to honor those men who defended the ideals of sovereignty and dignity to their last breath.
Venezuela's ambassador to Addis Ababa, Eddy Córdova, denounced the justifications offered by then-US President Donald Trump to cover up the January 3rd military aggression, stating that they "were nothing more than lies, exposed by the facts themselves and by the very actors involved."
Córdova recalled that early morning when "a sleeping country was attacked," noting that 32 Cuban heroes fought to the death, alongside hundreds of Venezuelan martyrs who fell in combat. He emphasized, "The example of Cuba, with more than 60 years of resistance, is the lesson that nations must follow to successfully confront the enemy."
For her part, the Cuban ambassador to Ethiopia, Meylin Suárez Álvarez, denounced the barbaric and unacceptable nature of the attack against Caracas, whose true purpose, she affirmed, was to control its immense natural resources, destroy a sovereign project, and reimpose the Monroe Doctrine on Latin America and the Caribbean.
“In defense of the greater homeland, confronting imperialism, these 32 Cuban combatants shed their blood,” Suárez stated, emphasizing that they fought under unequal conditions, but with a bravery that honors Cuba's history. She reiterated, in the strongest terms, the Cuban government's condemnation of the U.S. aggression against Venezuela.
On behalf of the Association of Friendship between the Peoples of Ethiopia and Cuba, its president, Abebe Ayelew, conveyed heartfelt condolences to the peoples and governments of Cuba and Venezuela, representing the nearly five thousand Ethiopian graduates on the island, reaffirming their unwavering solidarity.
The Secretary General of the Organization of the South, Massour Bin Mussallam, noted that the message issued on January 3 by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was not only directed at Venezuela and Cuba, but at the entire world. In that context, he called for unity around guiding principles such as justice, humanism, and the dignity of all peoples.
Referring to the 32 fallen Cuban combatants, he urged people to find strength and inspiration in their example.
“In the pursuit of that utopia of a more just world, and in the face of criminal aggression, the peoples and governments of Cuba and Venezuela will always have our support, friendship, and brotherhood in the struggle for justice,” he affirmed.
(EmbaCuba-Etiopía)