MANOLO DE LOS SANTOS: ‘LET CUBA LIVE’ 🇨🇺

Cubans recently started protests in the island’s eastern provinces over scarcity of supplies. These highly publicised protests have regularly occurred since 2021.Show more

While US conservative politicians and social groups blame Cuba’s communist leadership for the lack of food, medicines, fuel and other supplies, others point to the US blockade. It began in 1960, a year after the Cuban Revolution, in response to Cuba nationalising US-owned oil refineries on the island. The blockade started by preventing US products from being exported to Cuba. Food and medicines were not prohibited, however.

It was expanded over the next few decades, eventually punishing foreign countries and companies that provide financial subsidies or loans or attempt to trade with Cuba. The blockade now cuts access to food, medicines and prohibits sales of vital medical equipment and machine parts.

The United States has stated it intends to ‘bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow of government.’ An alternative to conventional warfare, sanctions are designed to destabilise a nation by weakening its economic infrastructure and causing financial hardship for ordinary people.

US-based group Sanctions Kill says US sanctions target one-third of humanity and mainly impact Africa, including the following states: Burundi, the Central African Republic, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

In this video, @PeoplesForumNYC founder @manolo_realengo says people in the United States reject US sanctions.