It will accept the offer of three million dollars, channeled through the Catholic Church, but made it clear that it will be managed by its own authorities.
MADRID, Spain.- The Cuban regime announced this Monday that it will accept the humanitarian aid offered by the United States – valued at three million dollars – intended for the victims of Hurricane Melissa in the east of the country and channeled through the Catholic Church. However, he made it clear that its distribution will be managed “in full coordination with its authorities,” a point that generates distrust among citizens and observers given the history of lack of transparency in the management of international donations.
In a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment (MINCEX) and replicated by the official portal Cubadebate, The regime confirmed that the Catholic Church of Cuba communicated the offer of material assistance through the United States Catholic Relief Service (CRS), with funds provided by the North American government, as well as another donation from the Archdiocese of Miami.
MINCEX noted that “these humanitarian gestures are appreciated” and assured that the Cuban authorities are working to “channel the contribution in the fastest and most efficient way,” so that aid reaches “promptly to the populations in need.” The text also stressed that Cuba has “a positive experience of years of cooperation linked to the humanitarian work of the Catholic Church”, always under the coordination and control of the State.
However, this conditioning arouses suspicion inside and outside the Island. In previous emergencies, the distribution of international aid has been marked by opacity, the diversion of resources and the lack of accountability. Often, donations arrive filtered through state or party structures, without directly reaching the affected communities.
The Catholic Church, mediator in the delivery of aid
One day before the MINCEX statement, The Catholic Bishops of Cuba and Cáritas Cuba had reported that they were holding “useful and positive conversations with all parties” to complete the delivery of American humanitarian aid. In their message, they recognized that the communities in the east of the country are experiencing a “catastrophic, very painful and sad situation,” and insisted on the need for solidarity with the dioceses of Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Bayamo and Holguín.
The bishops’ announcement came a few hours after the United States Department of State, through its Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs, reported that it was coordinating directly with the Catholic Church in Cuba the distribution of humanitarian assistance. Washington specified that the three million dollars in aid will go directly to the hardest hit sectors, reiterating that the assistance is “aimed at the Cuban people, not the regime.”
Regime reactions and diplomatic tensions
The initial offer was made publicly by the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who assured that Washington was “prepared to offer immediate humanitarian aid to the Cuban people affected by Hurricane Melissa.” The proposal sparked mixed reactions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX).
Vice Minister Carlos F. de Cossío confirmed on social network But other regime officials and propagandists, including Ambassador Juan Antonio Fernández Palacios, adopted a hostile tone. The latter wrote: “No alms or conditions.”
Other international aid and lack of transparency
Meanwhile, other countries and organizations have offered help to the Island after the devastating passage of Melissa. The Chinese Red Cross sent a thousand family emergency kits with shelter, hygiene items and other essential products. The UN, for its part, had released $4 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) as “anticipatory action” before the impact of the cyclone, although there is no public information on the use of these funds or independent oversight mechanisms.
The Norwegian Embassy in Cuba also announced a contribution of $400,000, according to its ambassador John Petter Opdahl.
However, as has happened in previous disasters, the regime manages these donations without accountability or external oversight, while affected communities face blackouts, food and drinking water shortages, infrastructure collapse, and lack of basic services.
The acceptance of the American donation, although presented as a humanitarian gesture, thus reopens the debate on the lack of transparency of the Cuban Government in the management of international aid and the need for it to truly reach the hands of those who need it most, without political control or official manipulation.
