Addis Ababa, March 19, 2025.- There was a lot of symbolism, commitment, solidarity and honors, when after ten o'clock on Wednesday night (local time), the member of the Political Bureau and Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, arrived at the Memorial Park to the Friendship between Ethiopia and Cuba, to pay tribute to the combatants of both nations who lost their lives on African soil.
His arrival at this endearing site occurred after his "historic, successful and exciting" official visit to the Republic of Congo. Then, in front of the murals where the photographs and names, on bronze plaques, of the 163 Cuban internationalists who fell here in the line of duty, the Head of Government laid wreaths.
He assured that this symbolic site was guarded by the gratitude of the "Ethiopian Cubans," as many of the sons of this country are recognized, and that we will always return to it to honor the history and the half century of brotherhood that unites us to one of the nations of the so-called Horn of Africa, as well as to strengthen the ties of cooperation and solidarity that have characterized our nations.
Marrero Cruz recalled the words of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz about the participation of our combatants in the Ethiopian feat, when he pointed out that "it is admirable how children of our people were able to march to such a distant place and fight there as if they had been fighting in their own homeland. That is proletarian internationalism!"
Then, he said, that they were "more than enough reasons to feel proud, to be here paying tribute to those who fell in these lands," while signifying the Cuban contribution to make Africa a free territory, and pointed out that from this continent "we do not take any wealth, only the mortal remains of our dear brothers who gave their lives here.
"I believe that we have to continue doing justice for Africa and supporting all these peoples to maintain their freedom, their autonomy just as we Cubans do," said the Prime Minister, who had the opportunity to exchange with friends of solidarity in this country, who waited for him in Memorial Park.
Abebe Ayelew, president of the Ethiopia-Cuba Friendship Association, said that there are almost 5,000 members of this group, more than 500 of them in Addis Ababa, and that we all "are and will be grateful to the Cuban people and the invincible leader, Commander Fidel Castro Ruz. Welcome, he's already at home."
In reciprocating that welcome, the Prime Minister pointed out that for the largest of the Antilles solidarity and "the role you play against the blockade is very important, denouncing the injustice of the United States Government to maintain this cruel policy. That is something we are proud of, as well as seeing that there are more than 60 000 young Africans who went to study in Cuba and today are professionals.
"That is why, in every country where there was a student who lived in Cuba, in any corner where there is one, the Greater Antilles is present, because you have known how to keep that affection."
And he pointed out that this was possible because in Cuba we not only teach the career, but also that dignity, that eagerness for social justice, that modesty with which we have been formed, under the leadership of Fidel and Raúl."
After also greeting Yibrah Maeri, architect of the work and who, in addition, studied in Cuba, the Prime Minister and the delegation that accompanies him toured a memorial, also known as the Tiglachin Monument (Our Struggle, in Amharic), where every March 5 an anniversary of the victory of Karmara is commemorated, the historical event that marked a decisive moment in the defense of Ethiopian sovereignty and in the maintenance of regional integrity with the decisive support of our troops.
The inclusion of the murals alluding to the Cubans protagonists of the so-called Operation "Baraguá", in honor of that glorious event in our history, was a notable addition to the Memorial Park and were inaugurated by Esteban Lazo Hernández, president of the National Assembly of People's Power and the Council of State of Cuba, during a visit to Ethiopia in December 2007.
The Prime Minister arrived in Ethiopia as part of a transit visit on his trip to the Republic of Namibia, where he will participate in the inauguration ceremony of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, and in the celebrations for the 35th anniversary of the country's independence and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations. They accompany him; the Minister of Health of the Republic of Cuba, Jose Ángel Portal Miranda, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Deborah Rivas and the Director General of Bilateral Affairs of the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Carlos Miguel Pereira.
Participating in the tribute were the Cuban ambassadors in Addis Ababa, Meylin Suárez Álvarez, to the African Union, Lucas Domingo Hernández, the president of the Ethiopia-Cuba Friendship Association, Abebe Ayelew, the Ethiopian architect trained on the Caribbean island Yibrah Mehari, designer of the monument, directors of the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, among other guests.
(Presidencia Cuba- EmbaCuba-Etiopía)