(04-04-23) MOGADISHU – On Tuesday, the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, received the diplomatic credentials from the new ambassadors of Djibouti, Canada, and Cuba at the Presidential Office Villa Somalia.
The President welcomed Mr. Juan Manuel Rodriguez, the new Ambassador of Cuba to Somalia. This marked a significant step in the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which were initially established in 1972 but suspended in 1977.
On Monday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somalia, Abshir Omar Jama, received the Cuban ambassador to Kenya, Juan Manuel Rodrigues Vazquez, who will also oversee Somali affairs. The Minister expressed the two nations’ mutual commitment to resuming diplomatic relations based on cooperation and mutual respect.
In October 2020, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its gratitude to the Somali government for their efforts to bring back two Cuban doctors kidnapped by Al-Shabab militants in Kenya in 2019. The Cuban government has maintained close contact with both Mogadishu and Nairobi since the incident, and in April 2020, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel spoke with the victims’ families, calling for their freedom.
The two kidnapped doctors, Assel Herrera and Landy Rodriguez, were part of a Cuban medical mission in Kenya, particularly focused on providing healthcare services in remote rural areas.
The renewal of diplomatic relations between Cuba and Somalia represents a new chapter in the bilateral cooperation between the two nations. This comes despite the historical tensions that arose during the Ogaden war between Somalia and Ethiopia when Cuba, along with the Soviet Union, supported Ethiopia.
As Somalia and Cuba move forward, it is expected that this renewed relationship will foster collaboration and understanding between the two countries, focusing on areas such as healthcare, education, and cultural exchange.
