An alliance of progressive advocacy groups announced on Thursday their intention to organize a humanitarian aid flotilla – named the Nuestra América Flotilla – to Cuba next month amidst increased economic pressure on the island by the United States.
The announcement comes just after various airlines cancelled flights to Cuba due to insufficient jet fuel available on the island. Canadian airlines Air Canada, Air Transat and Westjet have halted all Cuba-bound flights. Rossiya and Nordwind, two Russian carriers, have also suspended flights.
Read more: First airlines begin cancelling flights to Cuba following jet fuel shortage announcement
Cuba’s acute fuel shortage has been caused by the recent ratcheting up of economic sanctions on the nation by the U.S. Last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order labelling Cuba a threat to national security. The order imposed tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to the nation.
Since the capture of Venezuelan President and Cuban ally Nicolás Maduro by U.S. special forces and the consequent economically debilitating loss of the Venezuelan oil supply to the island, U.S.-Cuba tensions have risen significantly as Washington has consistently threatened regime change on the island.
As a result, various countries have started warning their citizens to avoid all but essential travel to Cuba, including the UK and Germany.
The economic crisis transcends fuel shortages; a humanitarian crisis is unfolding on the island as hospitals are postponing surgeries, medicines and food are starting to run low and energy rationing appears imminent.
Some governments are seeking to alleviate the humanitarian pressure: both Mexico and China have sent the island humanitarian aid, and Chile said it would also send aid via the United Nations. The Nuestra América Flotilla, however, is a non-governmental venture made up of activists and advocates from all over the world.
Read more: Chile to send $1 million in aid to Cuba amid economic crisis
The project has reportedly been inspired by the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), a collection of humanitarian aid flotillas which sailed to the Gaza Strip to break the Israeli naval blockade of the Palestinian territory. One of the Cuban flotilla’s organizers is David Adler, who helped organize the Sumud project.
According to the flotilla’s official website, the group will soon “set sail from across the Caribbean Sea in solidarity with the Cuban people … [to] break the siege, save lives and stand up for the cause of Cuban self-determination”.
Despite the inspiration by the Sumud project, the Mexican and Chinese deliveries of aid suggest that there is currently no indication that the U.S. would use its military to prevent humanitarian aid from reaching the island; Israel’s navy, conversely, intercepted the GSF before it reached the Gazan coast.
Major groups participating in the flotilla include Progressive International, an international left-wing activist organization, and Code Pink, a female-led grassroots peace and social justice group.
The flotilla’s mission has been endorsed by a variety of leading international figures, such as Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila, member of Colombia’s Chamber of Representatives María Fernanda Carrascal and U.S. Congresswoman Rachida Tlaib.
Prominent left-wing American streamer Hasan Piker has confirmed his participation in the project. It has also been speculated that prominent Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg will take part.
Dr. Stephen Wilkinson, one of the UK’s leading experts on Cuba and U.S.-Cuba relations and Chairman of the International Institute for the Study of Cuba at the University of Buckingham, endorsed the flotilla’s mission in conversation with Latin America Reports.
“It’s imperative that people support the flotilla. Anything that can be done to raise public awareness of what is being done is essential. The term ’Gazafication’ is not an exaggeration when used to describe what the US is doing”, Dr. Wilkinson emphasized.
“The [American] policy [of increased sanctions] is deliberately leading to famine in Cuba. The flotilla is a noble action because the people of the U.S. will be tainted forever with the guilt of a crime that will never be absolved … If Cuba falls they will lose their nation but the U.S. will lose its soul”, he concluded.
The Flotilla will host its first international assembly on Sunday to coordinate logistics, participation and the acquisition of humanitarian supplies.
Featured Image: The logo of the Nuestra América Flotilla
Image Credit: Progressive International via X
License: Creative Commons Licenses
