Cuba awards Friendship Medal to Brazilian MST militants

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez awarded the Medalla de la Amistad (Medal of Friendship) to two prominent members of Brazil’s Landless Workers' Movement (MST), Nivia Regina Da Silva and Marcelo Durao Fernández.

The ceremony, held at the Palacio de la Revolución, was proposed by the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP). Officials cited the recipients' long-standing solidarity with Cuba, including their efforts in campaigns against economic blockades and the donation of essential supplies such as seeds, agricultural machinery, and medicines for Cuban hospitals.

Nivia Regina Da Silva, an agronomist specializing in agroecology, and Marcelo Durao Fernández, a national coordinator for the MST, accepted the honors on behalf of the movement. The MST, which has operated for over four decades, focuses on social justice, agrarian reform, and food sovereignty.