He was a member of the "26th of July" Movement and fought alongside Raul Castro in the Second East Front "Frank Pais", during the uprising against Batista's government.
Since the foundation of the Cuban Communist Party in 1965, Cintra Frias has been a member of the organization. He studied and graduated from the School of Military Science in the Soviet Union.
Cintra was chief of artillery until he was appointed to head the Southern Military Mission in Angola (1975) and the Ogaden Front in Ehiopia (1978). In Angola he was directly involved in the defeat of FLNA troops command by Holden Roberto.
He was elected alternate member of the Politburo during the Second Congress (December 1980) and became a full member in the Third Congress (February, 1986).
From 1984 - 1987, and again in 1989, he was chief of the military mission in Angola. He participated directly in the peace talks on the Angola-South Africa conflict. In 1989, he was awarded the Medal of Hero for the Republic of Cuba.
