US Announces $6 Million Aid to Cuba Amid Tensions

The United States announced an additional $6 million in humanitarian aid to Cuba on Thursday, targeting residents in the eastern region devastated by Hurricane Melissa late last year, as bilateral tensions intensified over accusations of an energy blockade.

The aid package includes essential food items such as rice, beans, pasta and canned tuna, along with solar lamps to address ongoing power shortages. It will be distributed through the Catholic Church and the nonprofit organization Caritas, according to Jeremy Lewin, a senior official with the U.S. Department of State. This brings the total U.S. assistance for hurricane victims to $9 million, following an initial $3 million allocation after the storm struck.

Lewin emphasized that U.S. embassy personnel in Cuba would monitor the distribution to ensure the supplies reach those in need and are not diverted or politicized by government entities. He attributed Cuba's humanitarian challenges, including food shortages and widespread blackouts, to internal mismanagement rather than external factors. Specifically, he disputed Cuban claims that the crisis stems from disrupted oil imports from Venezuela, which halted after U.S. military...