NMSC Mourns 32 Cuban Internationalists, Condemns US Deadly Attack on Venezuela

By Chinedu Echianu

The Nigeria Movement of Solidarity With Cuba (NMSC) has expressed condolences to the Cuban government and people over the killing of 32 Cuban internationalists in Venezuela, which it attributed to the United States.

In a press statement issued in Abuja on Saturday and signed by its representative Owei Lakemfa, the NMSC said the Cubans were killed on January 3 in Caracas while defending Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, his wife, Cilia Flores, and what it described as Venezuela’s sovereignty.

The group, made up of labour centres, civil society organisations and intellectuals, praised the Cubans for what it called their courage and refusal to surrender despite being confronted by superior military force. It linked the incident to past examples of Cuban resistance, including the 1983 United States-led invasion of Grenada and Cuba’s military involvement in Africa against apartheid-era forces in Angola, Namibia and South Africa.

Beyond armed conflicts, the NMSC highlighted Cuba’s international medical assistance, noting the deployment of Cuban doctors to several countries, including Nigeria, and Cuba’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic when it accepted passengers from a coronavirus-hit cruise ship and sent medical personnel abroad.

The organisation called on the United States to respect international law, end what it described as invasions of other countries, and lift sanctions against Cuba, Venezuela and other nations. It also aligned itself with repeated United Nations General Assembly resolutions calling for an end to the US embargo on Cuba, stressing that global peace and development should take precedence over conflict.