Namibia has vowed not to bow to international pressure to distance itself from Cuba, with prime minister Elijah Ngurare reaffirming the country’s commitment to its long-standing ally despite the economic embargo imposed on the island nation.
Ngurare made the remarks in Havana, Cuba, on Monday during a colloquium commemorating the centenary of the birth of late Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro.
He said Namibia had a moral obligation to support Cuba, recalling the country’s role in Namibia’s liberation struggle.
“Cuba stood with us in our struggle for independence. When many turned away from us and supported apartheid South Africa, Cuba stood firm with us,” Ngurare said.
He said Namibia would not forget the role played by Cuban internationalist combatants during operation Carlota, which began in 1975 and involved more than 400 000 Cuban men and women in major battles in southern Africa.
Ngurare said the battle of Cuito Cuanavale, which he described as the last leg of operation Carlota, helped shatter apartheid South Africa’s military dominance and contributed to Namibia’s independence in 1990.
“Cuito Cuanavale is an eternal flame that will not die out,” he said.
Ngurare also called on the United Nations to use its powers to compel the United States to lift its economic embargo on Cuba, describing the sanctions as an inhuman humanitarian crisis.
He said the embargo had contributed to shortages of electricity and medicines, while surgeries were suspended because of medical shortages and power outages.
He reaffirmed that Namibia, under president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, would continue supporting Cuba.
