UN deeply concerned at deteriorating situation in Cuba

UNITED NATIONS, CMC – The United Nations Tuesday said it remains “deeply concerned” at the deteriorating situation in Cuba driven by the inability to import fuel, adding that this has triggered an energy crisis.

“Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that Cuba’s already strained health system is approaching a critical point. Hospitals face frequent power outages, shortages of essential medicines, inability to operate critical equipment, and major disruptions in oncology care, dialysis, emergency services, infant and maternal care, cold chain systems, as well as chronic and non-urgent care,” said Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

He said as an example, “Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that 16,000 cancer patients needing radiotherapy and more than 12,000 depending on chemotherapy cannot get the treatment they need due to power outages and resource shortages.

“Elsewhere, ambulances are struggling to obtain fuel, delaying urgent care,” he added.

The Donald Trump administration significantly tightened existing sanctions in January and February 2026, implementing a “maximum pressure” strategy.

A key measure was an executive order threatening tariffs on any country that supplies oil to Cuba, leading former suppliers like Mexico and Venezuela to halt shipments.

Dujarric said regarding access to water, nearly one million people depend on water delivered by tanker trucks, which, of course, requires fuel to operate those trucks.

He said more than 80 per cent of water pumping infrastructure relies on electricity, resulting in widespread and prolonged disruptions.

“Our humanitarian colleagues also say that food supply chains, from production to storage to distribution, are increasingly impacted, with cold chain systems failing, transport routes increasingly disrupted, and reductions in the availability of basic food items across the country.

“Our partners on the ground are working to provide assistance, but the lack of fuel for those operations is forcing food and water trucks to operate in a limited capacity, with dozens of aid containers being stuck at the port,” said Dujarric.

The UN Plan of Action issued after Hurricane Melissa last year calls for US$74 million but is only 33 per cent funded and Dujarric said “we are also engaging with member states, including the United States, so aid can be delivered unimpeded.”

He said this includes accessing fuel for humanitarian purposes.

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