Cuba, humanitarian aid from European convoy arrives in Havana

More than five tonnes of humanitarian aid transported by the European Convoy to Cuba arrived at the airport in Havana. The packages were loaded onto trucks and will be delivered to hospitals in the capital. The island has been short of power for weeks due to the tightening of the oil embargo imposed by the United States.

Over 5 tonnes of medicines, an international delegation of activists, social, trade union and political organisations from all over Europe and the participation of four European MEPs: the Italians Ilaria Salis and Mimmo Lucano, the French Emma Fourreau and the Belgian Marc Botenga. The delegates of the European Convoy for Cuba departed on 18 March morning from Fiumicino and Malpensa airports, kicking off another important phase of the Let Cuba Breathe campaign, an initiative promoted by Aicec - the Italian Agency for Foreign Trade with Cuba, which represents the European mobilisation of the Nuestra América Convoy to Cuba, the international movement set up to send humanitarian aid to the island and strengthen international solidarity with the Cuban people.

'The objective is to overcome the economic blockade and restrictions imposed by the United States on the country, a situation that is driving the Cuban population to the brink,' the campaign promoters explained in a note.

"The departure of the Convoy marks the result of an initial phase of great mobilisation," the note continues, "In just a few weeks, the fundraising campaign Let Cuba Breathe promoted by Aicec has exceeded 45,000 euros in donations, thanks to the contribution of major organisations - including Progressive International, Sinistra Italiana, CGIL and Fiom - but also to the participation of over 700 small donors, citizens and activists who have decided to contribute directly to sending humanitarian aid to Cuba. All the resources collected have been used and will continue to be used to finance the purchase and shipment of medical supplies for the Cuban health system'.

 "The European Convoy shows that a concrete network of solidarity with Cuba is growing throughout Europe. In just a few weeks we managed to mobilise dozens of social organisations, trade unions, political representatives and hundreds of citizens. This first trip is only the beginning: we will continue to support the Convoy and send humanitarian aid from Europe to Cuba whenever possible, strengthening an international solidarity that rejects the isolation imposed by the embargo," say the organisers of Let Cuba Breathe