Fresh humanitarian aid shipment from Mexico has arrived in Cuba

Havana, Cuba - A new shipment of humanitarian aid from Mexico arrived in Cuba on Sunday, as the communist-led island faces a mounting crisis amid the US blockade on oil imports.

The Asian Katra, a Panama-flagged cargo ship, arrives in Havana Bay carrying Mexican humanitarian aid, in Havana, on Sunday.   © PABLO PORCIUNCULA / AFP

The shipment – the sixth from Mexico since February – arrived in Havana's harbor Sunday morning, AFP journalists witnessed.

The US launched its de facto fuel blockade in late January, deepening the island's energy crisis and pummelling its already struggling economy.

Only one Russian oil tanker has been authorized to dock since then, with fuel shortages leading to power outages of up to 22 hours a day.

China slams Trump's new tariffs: "There's no such thing as 'forced labor' in China"
China China slams Trump's new tariffs: "There's no such thing as 'forced labor' in China"

The United Nations representative on the island warned Thursday that the humanitarian emergency, coupled with the onset of the Caribbean hurricane season, made for an "explosive cocktail."

Ad

While the US has had an embargo on Cuba for decades, President Donald Trump has drastically ramped up pressure on the country and openly muses about taking it over.