Activists say the relief supplies are a small “gesture of solidarity” aimed at drawing attention to the US energy blockade.
Published March 24, 2026
The first of a humanitarian convoy has arrived in Cuba to assist Cuba as the US energy blockade worsens and the country faces a deepening economic and energy crisis.
On Tuesday, a boat carrying about 30 people, including food, medicine, solar panels and bicycles, arrived in the capital Havana as part of the Nuestra América, or Our America, convoy that departed from Mexico last week.
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“This kind of economic war should not exist. This is the attitude of a pirate state that does not respect international law,” activist Thiago Avila said of the U.S. blockade, which Cuban authorities say has resulted in a near-total ban on oil imports for the past three months.
“These ships are a drop in an ocean of need,” Avila said. “At the same time, this is a show of solidarity.”
The convoy comes as U.S. President Donald Trump and his allies continue to tighten energy restrictions and express a desire for regime change in Cuba to further undermine Cuba’s economy. President Trump has said he could “occupy” Cuba and choose a government more amenable to U.S. demands.
The ship, nicknamed Granma 2.0 after the ship that took Fidel Castro’s Cuban revolutionaries to the island of Cuba as part of the U.S.-backed effort to overthrow the government of strongman Fulgencio Batista, left Puerto Progreso in Merida, Mexico, on Tuesday. Two other ships are also underway.
Last weekend, more than 650 participants from 33 countries arrived on the island as part of a flotilla and were greeted by President Miguel Diaz-Canel.
The United States has implemented economic and trade measures against Cuba for decades, but energy restrictions have cut off vital economic lifelines and contributed to a series of widespread power outages.
Algerio Abad Vigo, Cuba’s deputy minister of energy and mines, said last week that the country only produces about 40 percent of the fuel it needs, but critical supplies such as diesel, heavy oil, gasoline, jet fuel and liquefied petroleum gas have been unavailable for three months.
A February YouGov poll found that 46% of Americans do not support energy blockades, while 28% do. Additionally, 29% of respondents said the US approach towards Cuba was too harsh, while 26% said it was about right. Only 11% said the initiative was too lenient.
