Fidel and Raul Castro Awarded Medals of Honor by Angola

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Via cubaminrex.cu, translated from the Spanish

During a ceremony presided over by João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, the president of the sister African nation of Angola, "Honor" class medals, the nation's highest distinction, were conferred upon Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz and Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, the historical and current leaders of the Cuban Revolution.

Amidst standing ovations from the attendees, the Cuban ambassador in Angola received the decorations from the Angolan president. This act was a clear expression of recognition, admiration, and respect for Fidel, whose legacy is deeply rooted in this comrade nation, with countless stories of lives improved by the actions of the Cuban people under the leadership of the Commander in Chief.

During his opening speech at the eighth medal award ceremony, which marked the 50th Anniversary of National Independence on November 6, 2025, President Lourenço clearly acknowledged Cuba's assistance. He stated:

"We are thankful to the brotherly people of Cuba for their assistance, beginning with the bold "Operation Carlota," which paved the way for Cuban soldiers to join the key military operations in Angola against foreign invaders. We appreciate the extensive training of our youth in Cuba in both civilian and military fields, as well as their cooperation in education and health, while our cadres were being developed.."

Other prominent international figures were also recognized with the highest distinction, including Nelson Mandela (South Africa), Robert Gabriel Mugabe (Zimbabwe), Samuel Daniel "Sam Nujoma" (Namibia), Samora Moises Machel (Mozambique) and Xi Jinping (China).

During the same tribute, an additional list of Cuban internationalist fighters was also honored with medals of the "Independence" and "Peace and Development" classes.

The medals for Angola's half-century of independence were instituted by Law No. 2/25, approved by the Angolan National Assembly on March 18.

The story of thousands of Cuban fighters and civilians in Angola stands as one of the most inspiring chapters in our nation's history. November 5 marked exactly five decades since the beginning of Operation Carlota, which in Fidel's words was "the most just, prolonged, massive and successful internationalist military campaign by our country."

For almost 16 years, between 1975 and 1991, a total of 377,033 internationalist fighters and 50,000 Cuban civilians volunteered to support the Angolan people. Sadly, 2077 of them did not survive to see victory.

The enormous feat of the brave combatants of the People's Armed Forces of Liberation of Angola (FAPLA), with the support of Cuban internationalists, militants of the People's Organization of Southwest Africa (SWAPO), and Soviet advisers, not only guaranteed the independence and territorial integrity of Angola, but also changed the course of history in Southern Africa with the achievement of Namibian independence and the end of the infamous Apartheid regime in South Africa.

In a speech delivered on May 27, 1991, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz announced that Operation Carlota had come to an end:

"Thanks to Angola, we fully grasp Comrade Fidel's teaching that when a nation like Cuba is willing to fight and sacrifice for another people's freedom, there is nothing it cannot achieve for itself!"

This work was translated and shared via a License CC-BY-NC