Summary
More than 600 delegates from 33 countries began arriving in Cuba on Friday for what organizers described as a solidarity caravan delivering humanitarian aid, as the island faces a severe energy crisis. The visit is unfolding against heightened U.S.-Cuba tensions, including after President Donald Trump imposed an energy blockade in January, according to the reporting.
Organizers said the “Nuestra América Convoy a Cuba” effort includes about 20 tons of humanitarian aid and is designed to reach Cuba as Cuba’s economic situation remains under pressure. They said some participants arrived in advance earlier than the main group: a set of activists reached Havana on Wednesday and already delivered donations to hospitals.
The caravan is scheduled to continue through Saturday, with organizers saying members of the effort will travel by air from Italy, France, Spain, the United States and some Latin American countries. They also said three ships from Mexico will transport part of the delegation as a flotilla-style approach.
Organizers said the supplies include solar panels, food and medicines, including cancer medicines, as well as cardiac pacemakers. David Adler, an American organizer and coordinator for Internacional Progresista, said the caravan’s backers represent a broad international constituency, and he argued the effort challenges what he described as a “castigo colectivo.”
In a press conference, Adler said: “Al final somos decenas y decenas de delegados y delegadas y representamos en este convoy a millones de personas”. He added: “Este castigo colectivo no podemos permitirlo, no podemos normalizarlo”. He said organizers want to build an international coalition of solidarity aimed at preventing what he described as regional “recolonization” ambitions by the United States and Trump.
Cuba’s government also addressed what it described as speculation about negotiations involving Cuba’s leadership and system. Vicechancellor Carlos Fernández de Cossío said the Cuban political system and the president’s office are not up for discussion with Washington or with any other country. “El sistema político cubano no es objeto de negociación, ni el presidente, ni el cargo de ningún directivo en Cuba es objeto de negociación con Estados Unidos ni con el gobierno de ningún país”, Fernández de Cossío said, adding that there are areas of mutual interest where the two sides can discuss.
Another organizer, Manolo de los Santos of The People’s Forum, said attending Cuba at this moment was meant to confront not only what he characterized as the U.S. blockade, but also to prevent what he called “otra Gaza en América,” in reference to the humanitarian crisis linked to attacks in the Palestinian territory in the Middle East. Adler also said the flotilla for Gaza and the caravan to Cuba share some of the same adherents, including social activists as well as unions, public figures and political parties.
The reporting named several public figures expected among visitors, including British parliamentarian Jeremy Corbyn, Colombian Senator Clara López, Spanish politician Pablo Iglesias, U.S. labor leader Chris Smalls and Brazilian humanitarian activist Thiago Avila. It also said the trip included the Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap, which originated in Belfast and performs in Gaelic; a member of the group, Mo Chara, said in remarks to journalists that the group felt honored to be there and to use its platform to draw attention to the embargo and support the Cuban people.
On Friday evening, President Miguel Díaz-Canel thanked the caravan’s advance group and said the donations arrived as a response to what he described as attempts to pressure Cuba. In a message on X, Díaz-Canel said, “Traen cargas de ayuda contra el intento de asfixiarnos,” adding: “Bienvenida una vez más la ternura de los pueblos. La solidaridad siempre retorna a quienes la practican sin otro interés que el bienestar humano”.
The reporting said Díaz-Canel and his first minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, met with caravan activists on Friday night, and that Díaz-Canel delivered a one-hour speech addressing what he called U.S. “retórica de agresión.” He described sanctions as suffocating the Cuban population and said Cuba faces an “agresión multidimensional” expressed through what he described as an economic war with major impact, including “la guerra económica” and what he described as “bloqueo energético.”
In parallel, the reporting said other countries have announced or sent significant aid flows in recent weeks. It said Brazil announced it would send 20,000 tons of food, mainly rice, beans and powdered milk, while Chilean parliamentarians arrived with aid and China’s embassy said a ship carrying 60,000 tons of rice sailed for Cuba. The reporting also said Mexico was among the early donors, having sent shipments of food and hygiene products in three separate occasions before other groups moved from statements of solidarity to delivering goods.