Relationship dossier
Cuba
Ethiopia
Relationship assessment
Cuba and Ethiopia share a history of military solidarity and international support, with the later course of cooperation less clear.
Cuba toward Ethiopia
+40Cuba sent troops and military support to Ethiopia during the Ogaden War, aiding the Ethiopian government against Somali forces. Cuban-Ethiopian ties also included educational cooperation.
Ethiopia toward Cuba
+25Ethiopia has supported Cuba in international votes opposing the U.S. embargo. The two governments have also maintained cooperation, although its scope in later periods is unclear.
Overall relationship
+30The relationship’s strongest feature is the historical partnership formed during the Derg period, including Cuban military intervention in Ethiopia and Ethiopia’s subsequent international support for Cuba. Educational cooperation has also connected the countries, but the durability and scale of later engagement are uncertain.
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
Cuba and Ethiopia developed close ties during Ethiopia’s Derg period. Cuba sent troops and military support to Ethiopia during the Ogaden War, while Ethiopia has supported Cuba in international votes opposing the U.S. embargo. The relationship has also included educational and other cooperation, though the scope and continuity of these ties in later periods are less clear.
Key developments
Cuba sent troops and military support to Ethiopia during the Ogaden War.
Ethiopia supported Cuba in international votes opposing the U.S. embargo.
Major uncertainties
- The scale and continuity of educational and other bilateral cooperation after Ethiopia’s 1991 government change are unclear.
- The extent of recent bilateral engagement is unclear.