Madrid/Cáritas Cuba confirmed that the humanitarian aid sent by the US Government landed this Wednesday in Holguín. The donation, made up of 528 food kits and another 660 hygiene kits, will be distributed “in the Holguín communities of Cacocum and others surrounding that area that experienced severe consequences of Meteor Melissa,” said the organization, which belongs to the Catholic Church.
Catholic Relief Services (an organization founded by Catholics in the US) and Caritas Germany participated in the shipment. “The victims will receive these goods free of charge and directly from the Cáritas Holguín-Las Tunas teams,” Cáritas Cuba added in a statement.
The process has not pleased the Government, which has made public a release –through the Foreign Ministry– in which he rejects the “political manipulation” that Washington has carried out by taking advantage “for opportunistic purposes” of what “would seem like a humanitarian gesture.”
The text recalls that in October of last year, after Hurricane Melissa passed through the east of the Island, the US Government proclaimed its intention to send humanitarian aid. “77 days have passed,” reproaches the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which states that, as of January 14, no one from the State Department or any other official institution has informed their counterpart of the existence of this shipment.
“It was the Cuban Catholic Church that has addressed the country’s authorities with the information that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops intended to be the channel to send material assistance to Cuba that the US Government would provide,” the document states. Next, and highlighting it in bold letters, the text emphasizes that “Cuba is not opposed to assistance, as long as it benefits the people and the needs of the victims are not used for political gain under the guise of a humanitarian gesture.”
The statement insists that aid must be channeled through official channels, including the Church itself and others “with a proven track record in this type of process.” However, he argues, the donation is accepted on the understanding that it is a gesture from the population, since this is the one that contributes to the funds of the US Government.
Ultimately, the document – which strikingly confirms that the aid will go to those affected – emphasizes that what was promised is “a fraction of the effort of the Cuban people and Government and of the aid received from various parts of the world, including US organizations not associated with the Government.”
“The State Department may continue lying about Cuba, but it will not be able to alter the facts,” the text closes.
The regime is, however, only one of those dissatisfied with the operation. The reproaches have spread like wildfire from a very different trench, since a good part of the exile considers that the Church is complicit with the Cuban Government and the shipment will, ultimately, be controlled by it.
“The United States sends the first humanitarian shipment to Cuba to help people in need as they continue to recover from Hurricane Melissa. We work with the Catholic Church and our partners to ensure that aid reaches the Cuban people directly, not the illegitimate regime. The Trump Administration supports the Cuban people,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio published on his account on X.
The complaints – both to him and to the USAenEspañol account, which shared it – were numerous. “Is that the result of the conversations between Trump and Alejandro Castro Espín? Is that how they think he will be free?” responded one user. “They don’t quite understand. The church is also in collusion, evil is everywhere. They will steal everything!” added another. “The Catholic Church belongs to the Castros-Canel dictatorship, or don’t you remember the shipment of five containers that were stolen and then sold to the Cuban people?” says one more.
They are not the only criticisms that have reached Rubio, since other users reproach him for “decades of blocking.” “But of course, send a shipment and pretend you’re the savior. Colonial abuse wrapped in charity is still abuse,” snaps another user. And one more: “After 77 days of calculated cruelty, Rubio offers crumbs to a sinking nation. How generous, if famine is his political objective.”
Another flight to Santiago de Cuba is announced for this Friday, which will also receive a ship “within the next few weeks with the rest of the assistance from Washington.” The total value of the aid is three million dollars, in support for 6,000 families, or 24,000 people, in the provinces most affected by the cyclone: Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Granma and Guantánamo.
