By Were Kelly
A United Nations human rights expert has issued a forceful appeal for the United States to end its six-decade-long economic embargo on Cuba, arguing that the sanctions are systematically reshaping the fabric of daily life and exacerbating a deep humanitarian crisis.
The call comes amid severe shortages of food, medicine, and fuel on the island, pushing many Cubans to the brink.
The UN Special Rapporteur, following an official visit, presented a report detailing how the comprehensive sanctions, tightened in recent years, have crippled the Cuban economy and access to essential goods.
“These sanctions are not just a policy; they rewrite the script of daily survival for ordinary Cubans,” the rapporteur stated.
The report is filled with personal stories of individuals struggling to find basic antibiotics, of power blackouts lasting days, and of families spending hours in queues for scarce food items.
The Cuban government has long blamed the “el bloqueo” for its economic woes, while US administrations have maintained that the sanctions are a necessary tool to pressure the one-party state on human rights and democratic reforms.
The plea for a lift is now gaining renewed traction amid the escalating humanitarian situation, putting pressure on the Biden administration to consider a policy thaw.
A Cuban economist not affiliated with the government explained, “The sanctions are the primary determinant of our economic reality.
They block access to international financing, scare away foreign investment, and make importing the most basic goods prohibitively expensive and complex.” The situation has triggered one of the largest waves of migration in the nation’s history.
With the report adding to international pressure, the next steps lie with policymakers in Washington. The decision on whether to maintain the status quo or seek a new path will have immediate and profound consequences for the eleven million people whose lives continue to be defined by the long reach of the embargo.
Source: Al Jazeera
