“We will continue to condemn the blockade of United State government against Cuba. Now that they have failed for more than six decades in their attempts to destroy Cuba, they have sunk to their lowest level by inflicting suffering on the Cuban people through sanctions against any country that wishes to send them oil and petrol. It is unacceptable, it is unfortunate”, said Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah at the commemoration of the 48th anniversary of the Cassinga Massacre, held in the Omusati region.
At the commemoration, attended by a large group of survivors of the abominable crime, tribute was paid to the victims, and recognition was given to the extraordinary role of the Cuban combatants who confronted the forces of the South African apartheid regime, resulting in a considerable number of deaths and injuries.
The cooperation between Namibia and Cuba is the result of to shed blood on the battlefield. We are grateful to the Cuban internationalists who sacrificed their precious lives to save Namibians,” the president said. “After the Cassinga massacre,” she added, “many survivors went to Cuban schools for training, and these Namibians are an important part of our country´s development today.”
In the presence of thousands of residents of the remote region in northern Namibia, Ambassador Sergio Vigoa de la Uz spoke on behalf of Cuba, stating that Cassinga was the ultimate expression of injustice, contempt for life, and the violence of a system that refused to recognize this African nation’s right to freedom.
“The Cuban fighters arrived to protect the defenseless, to care for the wounded, to rescue those still struggling to survive amidst the rubble and suffering,” the diplomat said. “They arrived under the real risk of further attacks, in extremely difficult conditions, facing the latent threat of an enemy with superior resources.”
Vigoa de la Uz commented that the children of that time are now professionals, public servants, doctors who save lives, teachers who educate generations, engineers who develop infrastructure, and fighters ready to fight to maintain this freedom.
“Just a few days ago, a group of those survivors led the launch of the campaign ‘Namibians in Solidarity with the People of Cuba,’ an act of boundless love at a time when our country is facing the most difficult situation in its history, with threats of military intervention and an energy blockade that adds to more than six decades of brutal imperialist harassment, with unprecedented consequences for the Cuban population,” he emphasized.
“I take this opportunity to express our gratitude for the unwavering solidarity of the Namibian people, the SWAPO Party, and the government authorities,” he said. “You reaffirm to us that Cuba is not alone.”
He concluded: “On this memorable day, we reaffirm to our Namibian brothers and sisters that if United States imperialism dares to invade our homeland, they will reap the dust of its blood-soaked soil and be defeated, just as we defeated the South African forces at Cassinga.”
Some minutes before the ceremony, the President, along with the Cuban ambassador and other dignitaries, laid a wreath at the Monument to the fallen fighters for independence.
