Mexico sends humanitarian aid to Cuba
Two Mexican Navy ships laden with humanitarian aid docked in Cuba as a US blockade deepens the island’s energy crisis. The Mexican Government said that one ship carried some 536 tonnes of food including milk, rice, beans, sardines, meat products, cookies, canned tuna, and vegetable oil, as well as personal hygiene items. The second ship carried just over 277 tonnes of powdered milk. Yohandri Espinosa, a 34-year-old engineer, observed the ships arrive with his daughter and took pictures.
“This is incredibly important aid for the Cuban people at this moment,” he said. “We are living through difficult times of great need and uncertainty, and we don’t know how long we will be like this.” Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has called Trump’s threats an “energy blockade” and said it affects transportation, hospitals, schools, tourism and the production of food.
Cuban aviation officials warned airlines earlier this week that there isn’t enough fuel for airplanes to refuel on the island. On Monday, Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to Cuba, while other airlines announced delays and layovers in the Dominican Republic before flights continued to Havana. The cuts in fuel are expected to be another blow to Cuba’s once thriving tourism economy.
“Sometimes you think that things are going to improve, but it’s not like that,” said Javier Gonzalez, a Cuban who sat on Havana’s famed seawall watching the Mexican ships arrive. “We can’t stay how we are because it’s too hard. We’ll have to wait and see.” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that as soon as the ships return, “we will send more support of different kinds”.
