Ship ferrying aid from Mexico and Belize docks in Cuba as crises deepen

HAVANA (AP) — A ship laden with 1,700 tons of food and other aid collected in Mexico and Belize has docked in Cuba to help ease the island’s crises.

Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel said that the aid was sent by government officials in both countries, as well as supporters and Cubans living abroad.

“We appreciate the supportive embrace in such difficult times,” Díaz-Canel wrote in a post on X on Sunday.

A U.S. energy blockade that began in late January has halted oil shipments to Cuba, which is experiencing severe blackouts and food shortages.

Ongoing U.S. sanctions also have deepened one of the worst economic crises to hit Cuba in recent history.

“This gesture of brotherhood has immense significance for the Cuban people, who are heroically resisting the brutal energy blockade, the extreme intensification of the embargo, and the military threat from the U.S. government,” said Cuba’s Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodríguez.

Colombia’s Presidential Agency for Cooperation said a vessel carrying 100,000 tons of supplies, including food, departed the South American country for Cuba on Friday.

A ship carrying humanitarian aid from Mexico and Uruguay arrived in Havana at the end of last month.