Africa-Press – Angola. The Head of State, João Lourenço, is currently awarding Cuban army general Leopoldo Cintra Frias “Polo” the commemorative medal for the 50th anniversary of Angola’s independence in Luanda, for his dedication to the Angolan cause.
After receiving the independence medal from the hands of the Angolan Head of State, the Cuban politician and military man said that the moment is one of joy and at the same time of sadness, because the distinction honours the memory of his comrades who fell during the civil war in Angola.
He acknowledged that the first moments of his stay in Angola were difficult, characterized by a civil war, which culminated in the signing of the New York Peace Accords, on 22 December 1988, at the United Nations headquarters, between Angola, Cuba and South Africa.
The New York Accords, which granted Namibia independence from South Africa and ended the direct involvement of foreign troops in the Angolan civil war, were signed by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of Angola, Afonso Van-Dúnem M’Binda, of the Republic of Cuba, Isidoro Malmierca Peoli, and of the Republic of South Africa, Pik Botha.
Leopoldo Cintra Frias “Polo”, Cuban soldier and politician, was one of the main protagonists in the fight against the Apartheid regime in South Africa.
General Cintra Frías led a large unit of Cuban tanks into Angola and Ethiopia in 1975 and 1978 respectively.
He was in Angola on three occasions as part of Operation Carlota, the last being in 1989, where he commanded the southern front and directed Cuban forces on the ground during the Battle of Cuito-Cuanavale and subsequent actions, in which both sides claimed victory.
These joint operations by Cuban, Angolan and SWAPO troops allowed Cuba to participate in subsequent multilateral peace talks, with the United States acting as mediator.
General Cintra Frías was part of the Cuban delegation in the aforementioned negotiations. His role in this phase of the war was praised by Cuban President Fidel Castro.
Army Corps General Cintra Frías, who served as Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba from 2011 to 2021, commanded internationalist missions in Angola on several occasions and led decisive battles to preserve the country’s independence and integrity.
This is the second Cuban to receive this recognition. Cuban Brigadier General Rafael Moracén Limonta was posthumously awarded the Peace and Development Medal, being among the first 148 recipients.
General Moracén, hero of the Republic of Cuba, received Angolan nationality in 2014 for his contribution to Angola’s independence, a record of service that highlighted the military training he provided to those fighting against Portuguese colonialism.
For his part, the Cuban ambassador to Angola, Oscar León González, considered relations between the two countries to be excellent.
After Angola’s independence in 1975, relations between the two countries continued to strengthen, with Cuba providing support in various sectors.
In recent years, Angola and Cuba have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations by seeking a balance between the different levels of cooperation.
The activity is part of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of National Independence, and in compliance with the provisions of Law No. 2/25, of March 18, 2025, which institutes the Commemorative Medal alluding to the event.
For reasons of ease of organization, the decorations will be awarded in groups and should take place throughout the year.
For this second cenmony, which is being held in one of the hotels in Luanda, 697 citizens were decorated, 252 in the Independence Class and 445 in the Peace and Development Class.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
