Namibia commemorated its 33rd Heroes' Day on Saturday, with the President of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, being the guest of honour.

President Hage Geingob, in his address, stated that Namibia and Cuba share a longstanding bond of friendship, forged through the sacrifice of fallen heroes and engraved in the battlegrounds of Namibia’s fight for freedom and independence.

'Even the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean that separates our nations cannot sever this enduring connection. Truly, our sons and daughters traversed numerous rivers of blood, aided by our allies, the courageous Cuban internationalist fighters who stood shoulder to shoulder with our combatants from the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN), in order to ultimately overcome the scourge of apartheid ideology in Southern Africa,' Geingob remarked.

He emphasised that the Cuban fighters sought no recompense for their valiant deeds.

'They were solely propelled by the very principles that propelled their own revolution. Their blood sacrifices, coupled with those of Namibia’s own offspring, marked the turning point in our armed struggle and will forever be etched in the pages of history,' Geingob concluded.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency