Cuba received on Tuesday a shipment of humanitarian aid from the “Nuestra America” convoy, an international initiative organized by activists from around the world seeking to bypass US sanctions that severely restrict shipments of fuel and other goods to the island.
The aid arrived on a small ship that departed last week from the port of Progreso, Mexico. It entered the port of Havana on Tuesday, delivering 14 tons of food, medicine, solar panels, and bicycles to Cuban authorities. This was one of three ships in a humanitarian flotilla that departed from Progreso, with the other two expected to arrive later.
This ship complemented another 6 tons of goods transported by plane by activists during the past week, with deliveries to hospitals receiving wide coverage on Cuban state television.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel received the convoy members at the presidential palace last week, including European political figures such as former British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
The “Nuestra America” coalition brings together over 300 organizations from more than 30 countries, including non-governmental groups, unions, political parties, and parliamentarians.
“This is just a first step. Much greater support will follow,” said Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, who traveled from Mexico and disembarked.
The Tuesday delivery, delayed by several days due to poor navigation conditions in the Caribbean, remains a largely symbolic gesture in a country facing an almost-catastrophic economic crisis that severely hampers transportation, healthcare, and electricity production.
The Trump administration halted fuel supplies to the island and threatened to impose tariffs on countries delivering oil to Cuba.
This show of support comes shortly after Costa Rica joined Ecuador in severing diplomatic relations with Cuba, a blow to a nation that has long prided itself on its diplomatic ties with countries around the world.
The boat that arrived in Havana on Tuesday, named “Maguro,” was renamed “Granma 2” by its crew, in reference to the yacht on which Fidel Castro, the historic leader of the Cuban revolution, landed in 1956 to launch the revolutionary struggle against the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.
