- Title: ETHIOPIA: NATIONAL YOUTH FESTIVAL ENDS WITH MASS RALLY IN ADDIS ABABA.
- Date: 8th June 1978
- Summary: 1. GTV: Captain Fikre-Selassie Wogderess, Secretary General of PMAC clapping on dais as parade marches passed. 0.11 2. SV: Military band heads parade. 0.24 3. GV: Youths in parade carrying large Russian flags. 0.34 4. CU: Young children in parade carrying wooden automatic rifles. 0.46 5. CU: elderly woman dancing among spectators. 0.51
- Embargoed: 23rd June 1978 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
- Country: Ethiopia
- Reuters ID: LVA7AJ0RX80IJGL43W3XQDLMU7P2
- Story Text: In Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, a mass rally was held on Sunday (4 June), to mark the end of National Youth Week. The festival was organised to symbolise the strong ties between Ethiopia and Cuba. Thousands of Ethiopian children are to attend the 11th World youth and Students Festival to be held in the Cuban capital, Havana, in July.
SYNOPSIS: In Addis Ababa stadium, Captain Fikre-Selassie Wogderess, Secretary General of the ruling Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), headed members of the Ethiopian leadership watching the parade. The week of cultural and political activities for young people throughout Ethiopia, was designed to prepare them for training in Cuba. Recently, the head of the PMAC, Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam, visited Cuba and arranged for Ethiopian children to attend courses in revolutionary tactics.
Cuban military aid-both troops and equipment-helped Ethiopia to win the campaign in the disputed Jgaden region and to counter Eritrean Liberation forces in the north. The presence of Soviet flags in a parade predominantly designed to stress the strength of Ethiopia's relationship with Cuba, suggests recent reported coolness towards the Soviet Union has vanished. The official press said in May that the military government believed an abortive coup had received Soviet backing.
Captain Fikre-Selassie later delivered a speech, urging the young people to "safeguard their national freedom, the survival of their country and their revolution". He added that they had a responsibility to liberate all "people being oppressed and exploited".
This demonstration of the close bonds between Ethiopia and Cuba, came just a few days after the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit conference in the United States. During that meeting, several Western leader, including United States President Carter, severely criticised Cuba and the Soviet Union over their involvement in African affairs.
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