Relationship dossier
Angola
Cuba
Relationship assessment
A historic partnership shaped by Cuban military support and continuing cooperation in health, education and diplomacy.
Angola toward Cuba
+45Angola has maintained bilateral cooperation with Cuba in areas including health and education and has supported calls in international forums to end the U.S. embargo on Cuba.
Cuba toward Angola
+60Cuba provided extensive military support to the MPLA government during the Angolan civil war, including the deployment of Cuban forces. Cuban professionals have also contributed to health and education services in Angola.
Overall relationship
+55The relationship is anchored in Cuba’s extensive military intervention in support of the MPLA government and continued cooperation in civilian sectors. Angola’s diplomatic support for ending the U.S. embargo on Cuba adds a political dimension. These features support a durable partnership, although its contemporary scope is less clear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Angola and Cuba have a long-standing partnership rooted in Cuba’s military support for the MPLA government during the Angolan civil war. Relations have also included bilateral cooperation in health and education, including Cuban professionals working in Angola, and Angolan support for calls to end the U.S. embargo on Cuba. The relationship remains a substantial historical partnership, though the present scale of cooperation is uncertain.
Key developments
Cuba deployed forces in support of the MPLA government during the Angolan civil war.
Cuban professionals contributed to health and education services in Angola under bilateral cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The current scale and implementation of health and education cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of Angola’s continuing diplomatic support for Cuba is uncertain.