Humanitarian Aid Ship From Mexico And Uruguay Docks In Havana With 1,700 Tons Of Grains

A humanitarian aid ship from Mexico and Uruguay docked in Havana on Monday to help ease Cuba’s spiraling crises, with the cargo including personal hygiene items and 1,700 tons of grains and powdered milk, according to Cuban state media.

The Associated Press reported that the ship departed from a Mexican port and arrived as Cuba’s food industry minister Alberto López Díaz said the items came “at a time of great economic hardship, exacerbated by the tightening of the blockade imposed on our country by the United States government.”

Al Jazeera

The AP said tensions between Mexico and Cuba’s ally and the United States have risen as Washington ratchets up pressure while it seeks an indictment against former Cuban President Raúl Castro over his alleged role in the 1996 downing of four planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue.

Cuban state media and AP also said López Díaz stated that Monday’s aid would be distributed “with the utmost responsibility and respect,” prioritizing children, the elderly and vulnerable families.

The AP linked the shipment to renewed U.S. pressure on Cuba, saying the United States is seeking an indictment against former Cuban President Raúl Castro over his alleged role in the 1996 downing of four planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue.

In the same AP account, Cuba’s food industry minister Alberto López Díaz said the aid would be distributed “with the utmost responsibility and respect,” prioritizing children, the elderly and vulnerable families as the island faces shortages and blackouts.

Anadolu Agency

Latin Times framed the arrival of the Asian Katra in Havana Bay as tied to fuel shortages and renewed U.S. pressure on countries that supply oil to Cuba, and it quoted Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel thanking the aid on social media.

Latin Times also quoted Díaz-Canel saying, “On behalf of the Cuban people, we express our deepest gratitude for the new shipment of solidarity aid from Mexico and Uruguay,” while tying the donation to “the direct and multidimensional impact of the United States embargo on the daily lives of our people.”

As the ship docked, the AP reported that 52-year-old Reiniel Morales gathered in Havana and said, “Anything that comes in is good,” adding, “We have to find a way to counteract the blockade.”

“A humanitarian aid ship from Mexico docks in Havana as US-Cuba tensions escalate A humanitarian aid ship from Mexico docks in Havana as US-Cuba tensions escalate HAVANA (AP) — A ship laden with humanitarian aid from the governments of Mexico and Uruguay arrived Monday in Havana to help ease Cuba’s spiraling crises”

Associated Press

The AP said Morales told reporters he hasn’t received any of the previous aid that Mexico sent this year, but expects to at some point, saying, “The time will come when it will be my turn.”

The AP also quoted Niurvis Fabre, a 52-year-old teacher, who said she doesn’t expect to receive any of the latest aid given her age, but was content “as long as the aid goes to the people who really need it.”

Latin Times described the same arrival as coming during a worsening economic and energy crisis tied to fuel shortages and renewed U.S. pressure, and it said Cuba’s energy minister Vicente de la O Levy warned the country had run out of diesel and fuel oil, leaving the national electrical grid in a critical state.