He played a key role in implementing Cuban policies toward Africa in the 1960s, such as the intervention in the Congo in 1965.
[1] In 1966, he was appointed as Secretary General of the Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Asia, Africa, and Latin America (OSPAAAL).
He remained as a member of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party and in the 1990s was appointed Minister of Tourism until he was replaced in 1998.
His departure caused controversy after some news reports suggested that he had been removed by Cuba's president, Raúl Castro.
[2] Cuban dissident Armando Valladares has alleged that he was responsible for at least nine extrajudicial killings by asphyxiating political opponents.