U.S. Offers Cuba Aid But Obstructs Relief Efforts
The U.S. says it’s coordinating the delivery of $3 million in humanitarian aid through the Catholic Church to Cubans impacted by Hurricane Melissa.
The announcement comes after three days of political back and forth between Washington and Havana, and as U.S. sanctions make it harder for other countries and organizations to get aid to those who need it after the storm.
On October 30, the day after the world once again condemned the U.S. embargo at the UN, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statementthat the Trump administration “stands with the brave Cuban people who continue to struggle to meet basic needs” following Hurricane Melissa.
The statement remedied a previous post on X in which Rubio had excluded Cuba from U.S. aid in Melissa's aftermath.
Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossío said on X the same day that the Cuban government had been in contact with the State Department and was “waiting for clarification on how and in what ways they are willing to help.”
And on October 31, the Cuban Foreign Ministry said (in Spanish) the U.S. “had not made any concrete offer nor responded to questions.”
Then, on Sunday, the U.S. State Department announced its coordination with the Catholic Church to distribute $3 million in aid.
The Cuban government expressed gratitude for the “humanitarian gesture” in a statement (in Spanish) and explained the aid would be channeled through the Catholic Relief Services, while a second aid effort was offered by the Archdiocese of Miami.
The Alliance for Cuba Engagement and Respect (ACERE) criticized the move: “Channeling assistance only through ‘local partners’ while avoiding cooperation with the public authorities that run health, electricity, water, and housing systems, the critical systems families depend on after a hurricane, turns relief into a hybrid of aid and public relations,” the group said in a statement.
And while this aid from the U.S. will help people in Eastern Cuba get back on their feet, recovery efforts are significantly hindered by U.S. sanctions.
Francisco Pichón, the UN coordinator in Cuba, said after Melissa that the sanctions “exclude Cuba from international financial institutions,” which makes financing the disaster response “extremely difficult.”
The first Trump administration, the Biden administration and the current administration have targeted Cuba’s main sources of income, limiting the amount of money and resources the island can devote to disaster response. The U.S. persecution of oil tankers going to Cuba limits the amounts of fuel available for evacuations, makes logistics even more difficult for first responders, and hampers humanitarian aid delivery – while also worsening power outages and keeping Cubans in the dark.