Five tons of Cuban humanitarian aid packaged by European activists arrived on the island nation on Wednesday. The island is currently suffering from the impact of ongoing US energy blockade.
First shipment of international aid reaches Cuba
Humanitarian aid packaged by European activists reached Cuba yesterday to help with the fallout of the energy blockade by the US. The package is made up of five tons of medical supplies to help the nation.
About 100 European activists arrived at Havana airport with the aid. Officials will distribute the medical supplies to hospitals in the country.
Moreover, humanitarian organizations and public figures plan to deliver 20 tons of aid to the island. Organizers plan to deliver the aid by air and sea to help the island nation through its economic crisis.
Also, official Cuban media said another humanitarian convoy was leaving Chile for Cuba on Wednesday. The aid contains medicines, supplies, and food to help Cuba.
Another group of 140 people, including doctors, lawyers, labor leaders, and activists, will be going from Miami to Cuba on Friday. They will go with 2.8 tons of medical supplies for clinics and hospitals. Another Mexican flotilla expects to reach Havana by the end of the week.
Additionally, leftist activists are planning to hold a solidarity event along the Havana waterfront. Notable activists such as Pablo Iglesias, Thiago Avila, and Jeremy Corbyn are expected attendees of the solidarity event.
The organizers of the event, in their statement, quoted Jeremy Corbyn saying the US has blockaded Cuba for six decades. He also insisted that the majority of the people around the world side with the Cuban people.
“To defend the Cuban people is to defend sovereignty and freedom against the criminal logic of the blockade,” said Pablo Iglesias.
United States energy blockade plunges Cuba into a humanitarian crisis
The United States’ energy blockade on the island nation of Cuba is leading to a serious humanitarian crisis. The nation is now battling severe effects of the fuel blockade.
The suspension of oil supplies from Venezuela after the US ousting of Nicolás Maduro has also been a huge setback to the nation. Cuba is now embroiled in a full-blown economic crisis.
This is the nation’s worst economic crisis in three decades. The US capture of Maduro and the subsequent cut-off in oil shipments from Venezuela jointly exacerbated the crisis.
Nevertheless, the US President, Donald Trump, has threatened retaliation against any country that sends oil to Cuba.