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Cuba sent 400K soldiers to Angola from 75-91 to beat back Apartheid.
Matt Kinnard
"One of Nelson Mandela's first trips outside Africa after his release from prison was to Cuba in 1991
He wanted to thank Fidel Castro and the Cuban people for their unparalleled support
Cuba sent 400,000 soldiers to Angola from 1975-91 to beat back the apartheid South Africa-backed rebels. 2,000 of them were killed. But their victory was a turning point in the fall of the white supremacist regime in Pretoria, which was backed by Washington and London
Mandela said: "I was still in prison when I first heard of the massive help which the Cuban international forces were giving to the people of Angola. The help was of such a scale that it was difficult for us to believe it, when the Angolans were under attack by the combined forces of South Africa, the FALA [Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola] who were financed by the CIA, mercenaries, UNITA [National Union for the Total Independence of Angola], and Zaire in 1975"
He added: "The decisive defeat of the aggressive apartheid forces in Angola destroyed the myth of the invincibility of the white oppressor"
Mandela said the Cuban intervention "was the first time that a country had come from another continent not to take something away, but to help Africans to achieve their freedom"
He continued: "We have come here today recognising our great debt to the Cuban people. What other country has such a history of selfless behavior as Cuba has shown for the people of Africa? How many countries benefit from Cuban health care professionals and educators? How many of these volunteers are now in Africa? What country has ever needed help from Cuba and has not received it? How many countries threatened by imperialism or fighting for their freedom have been able to count on the support of Cuba?"
The Cuban Revolution is one of humanity's most incredible achievements."
British independent journalist Matt Kennard.
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