Mexico City / Ottawa /The Mexican Foreign Ministry announced this Tuesday the sending of a second humanitarian aid package to Cuba, with nearly 1,200 tons of food, in the midst of the economic crisis that the Island is experiencing, exacerbated by the United States energy blockade.
“This Tuesday, the Papalopan and Huasteco Logistics Support Vessels set sail from the port of Veracruz with a total of 1,193 tons of supplies destined for the civilian population of the island of Cuba,” the Mexican statement stated.
The two ships transport essential food for the civilian population of the Island, on a sea trip with an estimated time of four days.
According to official information, the Papaloapan ship carries most of the cargo: 1,078 tons of beans and powdered milk. Meanwhile, the Huasteco ship transports 92 tons of beans, in addition to 23 tons of “various foods.”
According to official information, the Papaloapan ship carries most of the cargo: 1,078 tons of beans and powdered milk.
The Foreign Ministry specified that these 23 tons were delivered by different social organizations, with the support of the Government of Mexico City, through a collection center installed in the capital’s Historic Center, and correspond to a first delivery.
For the transfer, as well as for boarding and disembarking maneuvers, more than 350 naval elements were used, in addition to a crane and five forklifts, according to the statement.
This shipment occurs after the SRE confirmed on February 12 the arrival in Havana of two Mexican ships with more than 814 tons of food and other goods sent as humanitarian aid. The official press reported the distribution of food and has thanked Mexico for its cooperation.
The president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has reiterated that her Government will maintain support for the Island with food, but without including oil, after a blockade promoted by Washington and the threat of tariffs on countries that export oil to Cuba.
Before this restriction, Mexico exported $609,392 million to Cuba during 2025, an increase of 10.6% compared to all of 2024, when it recorded income of $551,216 million, according to data from the Bank of Mexico.
In previous days, the president also indicated that there are conversations to explore whether Mexico can facilitate a dialogue between the United States and Cuba, while insisting on the principles of Mexican foreign policy, such as the self-determination of the people and non-intervention.
The Mexican Government framed this new shipment in a “tradition of solidarity” with Latin American countries and, in particular, with Cuba, and maintained that in recent months it also sent aid to other parts of the continent affected by emergencies, such as the fires in California, the United States and Chile, as well as the floods in Texas, among other tragedies caused by natural disasters.
This Tuesday, Canada confirmed the information from previous days about the aid package that he is preparing for Cuba and that will be presented in the coming days.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Anita Anand, refused to detail, however, the content. “We are preparing (an aid package) and we will have an announcement in the next few days. When the announcement is made, you will see what is covered. But I have nothing to announce today,” he responded to media questions.
Anand justified the delivery of aid “due to the humanitarian situation, to help people who are suffering,” but the news coincided with the claim made by two organizations in the country.
Democratic Spaces and Human Rights Action Group published a report in which researchers Michael Lima, Isabelle Terranova and Sarah Teich urge Canada to review its policy towards Cuba, apply specific sanctions and stop treating the Island as an exceptional case within its human rights policy.
The report argues that Cuba is a central player in a global network of authoritarian regimes alongside Russia, China and Venezuela, something that Canada is ignoring.
The report maintains that Cuba is a central actor in a global network of authoritarian regimes along with Russia, China and Venezuela, something that Canada is ignoring
“While Ottawa has rightly condemned the authoritarian regimes of Venezuela, Nicaragua, Russia and Iran, it has continued to shield the Cuban regime from meaningful accountability despite overwhelming evidence of systematic repression at home and active collaboration with hostile authoritarian powers abroad,” the authors note.
“Canadian foreign policy on human rights and authoritarianism has not been applied coherently, and Cuba clearly illustrates this phenomenon,” added the authors, describing it as a “double standard” that Ottawa has criticized the Venezuelan regime at the same time that former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau considered the Cuban regime “an ally.”
The report asks Ottawa for a series of measures, such as implementing sanctions against perpetrators of human rights violations and promoting the release of political prisoners.
