Diplomatic corps pays tribute to Cuban internationalists dead in Africa

HAVANA, Cuba, May 23 (ACN) A representation of the diplomatic corps accredited to Havana paid tribute today, at the Necropolis de Colon, to the Cuban internationalists who fell in the wars in Africa, on the 59th anniversary of the founding of the Organization of African Unity, now the African Union (AU).

On behalf of the Cuban people and in a solemn ceremony, a wreath was laid in memory of those who wrote with their blood some of the most glorious pages of internationalism and solidarity between Cuba and the African nations.

Joel Queipo Ruiz, member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and head of the Economic Department, stressed the importance of commemorating one more anniversary of the AU in this symbolic place, where the remains of Cuban and African combatants rest.

In the presence of Naseer Mohamed Ousbo, ambassador of the Republic of Djibouti and dean of the African diplomatic corps to Cuba, the official said that the coincidence in the anti-colonialist struggle between the emerging African states and the Cuban Revolution marked the beginning of a relationship of brotherhood, strengthened in the midst of a complex economic, political and health panorama.

Queipo Ruiz thanked the AU for its common position against the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on the Caribbean nation, which represents the main obstacle to its development.

According to official sources, during the Cuban internationalist missions in the African continent, more than 385,000 combatants participated, of which 2,398 fell in the line of duty.

The AU has its origin in the Organization of African Unity, founded on May 25, 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with the aim of supporting continental integration and the decolonization process.