Translating Cuba – English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island

The U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Cuba Is Targeted by an Act of Repudiation in Camagüey

“They shouted some insults,” said Mike Hammer, but “they do not represent the Cuban people”

Hammer (center), together with Cuban church authorities, assessing the progress of the distribution of humanitarian aid sent by the United States. / Facebook

14ymedio, Havana, February 1, 2026 – Mike Hammer, the United States chargé d’affaires in Havana, was subjected to an act of repudiation this Saturday outside a private guesthouse in the city of Camagüey, about 500 kilometers from the Cuban capital. The incident became public through a video posted on the Facebook profile of a government sympathizer who publishes only official events and commemorations on his page.

Those involved were men and women shouting “down with the blockade,” “puppets of Donald Trump,” “murderer,” “genocidal,” and “bootlickers.” The slogans are identical to those used by Cuba’s propaganda apparatus in acts of harassment against opponents and dissidents, as well as in marches and rallies convened by the Communist Party.

The street where the incident occurred was dark. For more than a year, the country has been suffering prolonged scheduled blackouts lasting more than 10 hours. Those staging the harassment shouted “they come to see the blackouts,” blaming the government represented by Hammer. The individuals approached the entrance of the guesthouse but did not attempt to cross the threshold of the tourist building.

Last Wednesday, Yoani Sánchez, director of 14ymedio, and Reinaldo Escobar, a columnist for this outlet, were detained and forced to return to their home by a guard stationed at the ground floor of the building where they live in Havana. The visibly nervous agent, who followed Sánchez, was unable to give the address of the place where he had encountered her, and she managed to walk several blocks before reinforcements arrived, including another agent who identified himself with an ID from the DSE (Department of State Security) and two women dressed continue reading

in civilian clothes.

“The illegitimate Cuban regime must immediately cease its repressive acts of sending individuals to interfere with the diplomatic work of the Chargé d’Affaires”

Sánchez and her husband were on their way to a meeting at Hammer’s residence. They had been invited to the start of the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. At the same time, other political activists and opposition figures such as Boris González, Berta Soler, Ángel Moya, Manuel Cuesta Morúa, Marthadela Tamayo, Camila Acosta, Ángel Santiesteban, and Dagoberto Valdés were forced to remain inside their homes, without any judicial order.

Between Havana and Washington there has been an increase in hostile rhetoric following the removal of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their residence in Caracas, where they were sleeping surrounded by a guard of Cuban military personnel, 32 of whom were killed in the capture operation. Authorities on the island have spent four consecutive Saturdays calling for military exercises in anticipation of a possible similar action by the United States.

Such hostility, however, contrasts with the tour the head of the U.S. diplomatic mission has been making through central Cuba, where he is generally warmly received by residents. On the U.S. Embassy’s social media, Hammer said with a smile that “they yelled a few insults” at him and that he believes they came from people who “belong to ‘a certain party’ ” and who “do not represent the Cuban people.”

In the statement, Hammer films himself with a mobile phone from a rooftop and says he is in the city of Trinidad, traveling around the island, “getting to know more everyday Cubans,” with whom he has “been talking about their aspirations for a better Cuba.”

The U.S. Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs warned this Sunday on X that “the illegitimate Cuban regime must immediately cease its repressive acts of sending individuals to interfere with the diplomatic work of Chargé d’Affaires Hammer and members of the Embassy team. Our diplomats will continue meeting with the Cuban people, despite the regime’s failed tactics of intimidation.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cold, Rain, and Strong Swells Hit Western Cuba and Complicate Daily Life

Rainfall and falling temperatures combine with flooding and strong winds

These conditions worsen the daily precariousness faced by thousands of Cubans. / Facebook

14ymedio, Havana, February 1, 2026 – Western Cuba woke up this Sunday to a meteorological scenario unusual for an island that prides itself on living in “eternal summer.” The arrival of the eighth cold front of the current winter season has brought coastal flooding, strong swells, and several flooded streets in Havana.

The phenomenon is accompanied by a marked drop in temperature. In the afternoon, thermometers will barely reach between 15 and 18 degrees Celsius [59F and 64F] in the west and center of the country, and between 18 and 21 degrees in the eastern region. At night, conditions will be even colder, with lows expected between 11 and 14 degrees in the west and center, and up to 16 degrees in the east, with lower temperatures in some localities in the central part of the island.

These conditions exacerbate the everyday precariousness faced by thousands of Cubans. In neighborhoods where cooking gas is scarce and power outages are the norm, the cold translates into difficult nights, especially for the elderly, children, and people living in homes with deteriorated roofs. The situation is also harsh for those forced to cook with firewood or charcoal, a practice that has become increasingly widespread amid the energy crisis.

Added to this are strong winds, with sustained speeds between 15 and 30 kilometers per hour and gusts that can exceed 35 km/h along the northern coast, intensifying the wind chill. Overnight, the wind will shift to the north, maintaining similar intensities and stronger gusts along the shoreline.

Flooding is another test of endurance, especially for those living in low-lying areas

For many Havana residents, flooding represents another test of endurance, especially for those living in low-lying zones. But those whose homes suffer from long-standing leaks and cracked walls are not spared either, as wind slips through uninvited. Many improvise with cardboard, plastic sheeting, or old sheets to cover gaps; others resort to continue reading

borrowed coats or multiple layers of clothing just to be able to sleep. In the poorest neighborhoods, dampness settles into mattresses and furniture, worsening respiratory problems and rheumatism that rarely find relief in an understocked health care system.

Among the risks accompanying these weather conditions are flooded basements, contamination of potable water cisterns, and uncovered sewer openings: hidden traps that have already proved deadly in previous floods. The day is also more difficult for those who depend on informal work or daily transportation to survive. Rain and flooded streets reduce the circulation of buses and shared taxis (almendrones), raise transportation costs, and force many to walk long distances in downpours, with the resulting loss of time and income.

For many, however, the greatest fear is not during the hours of rain or wind, but in the days that follow, when the sun returns and the accumulated moisture begins to seep out of aging walls that can no longer withstand decades of neglect and lack of maintenance. In Havana, the subsequent heat acts as a silent trigger that softens walls, opens cracks, and accelerates the deterioration of structures that have been at the limit for years. Partial or total collapses usually occur then, far from the drama of the storm, but with more serious and lasting consequences.

This permanent risk turns each cold front into a deferred threat for thousands of families living in shored-up buildings, tenements, and subdivided houses. Many sleep in fear of not hearing in time the creak of a wall or the collapse of a balcony. In a city where structural collapse has become normalized, the greatest threat does not come from outside, but from within the walls themselves.

Translated by Regina Anavy
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The Tanker Emilia Returned Empty to Cuba After Jamaica Refused to Sell Gas to the Island

Kingston is a regular supplier to Havana, but chose to comply with Trump’s decree threatening tariffs on countries that deliver fuel to the island

The Emilia approached Kingston with a draft of 8.4 meters and departed with exactly the same draft, a clear sign that it did not load fuel. / VesselFinder

14ymedio, Havana, February 1, 2026 – After weeks of apparent inactivity, the tanker Emilia, dedicated to transporting liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) under the Cuban flag, began moving again. However, far from bringing relief, its arrival at the port of Cienfuegos confirmed the worst possible scenario: the vessel arrived empty.

As confirmed to 14ymedio by expert Jorge Piñón, an energy expert at the University of Texas, the Emilia had departed from Santiago de Cuba with the intention of loading LPG in Jamaica, one of its regular suppliers. The destination was the port of Kingston. But the plan was derailed by a lethal combination of timing and politics. The ship reached Jamaican waters just hours before the new executive order by President Donald Trump went into effect. The decree, effective at 12:01 a.m. (Eastern Time) on January 30, 2026, sanctions all countries that send fuel to Cuba.

Maritime tracking data confirm the failure of the operation. VesselFinder records show that the Emilia never docked in Kingston. It approached with a draft of 8.4 meters and departed with exactly the same draft: an unmistakable sign that it did not load fuel. It entered Jamaican territorial waters at 08:35 UTC on January 29 and left at 10:48 UTC on the 30th, an interval insufficient to carry out a loading operation, even before the U.S. decree formally took effect at midnight. continue reading

For thousands of households, obtaining a 10-kilogram cylinder has become an obstacle course

The tanker then headed to Cienfuegos and entered the port with the same draft with which it had departed. It carried no LPG. The voyage, followed with anticipation for days by specialists and citizens alike, ended up being yet another demonstration that Cuba’s energy system operates day to day, without a safety net.

The Cienfuegos terminal concentrates key infrastructure for LPG storage and redistribution for the western part of the country. From there, provinces that have gone months without regular service are supplied. The lack of gas not only deprives families of an essential household fuel, but also forces them to improvise with firewood, charcoal, or intermittent electricity for cooking, fueling ongoing social and public health deterioration.

In 2025, the authorities themselves acknowledged near-total suspensions of gas sales due to depleted inventories. Each unloading allowed only a few days of sales before the small cylinders, the balitas, disappeared again. For thousands of households, obtaining a 10-kilogram cylinder has become an obstacle course with no guarantee of success.

In January 2026, a gas cylinder was resold for between 10,000 and 30,000 pesos

That is why every movement of the Emilia is tracked down to the minute. The ship has spent long periods anchored or inactive, behavior that some experts attribute less to technical failures than to financial constraints. Cuba purchases LPG through spot operations, without stable contracts, and depends on regional intermediaries willing to assume risks. The shortage of foreign currency, a history of nonpayment, and now the tightening of the sanctions make it increasingly difficult to close deals, even in the short term.

From Cienfuegos, when product is available, LPG is redistributed to provinces that are months behind. Then the lines reappear, appointment slots are exhausted within hours, and the informal market drives prices up. In January 2026, a gas cylinder was resold for between 10,000 and 30,000 pesos, several times a state worker’s monthly salary. The official price exists only for those who manage to reach the service window.

The Emilia episode also fits into a broader context of energy contraction. As early as 2025, fuel imports to Cuba fell significantly, affecting both electricity generation and household consumption. With less fuel for distributed generation plants, blackouts intensify and gas becomes a critical substitute. Shortages of one increase demand for the other, closing a vicious circle.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Mexico and the US Dialog to Finalize Agendas on the Tariffs Linked to Oil Sent to Cuba

Sheinbaum ordered an investigation into the details of the decree and warned of its humanitarian consequences

The Mexican Foreign Ministry indicated that the conversation took place on Friday afternoon and that both officials agreed to strengthen cooperation. / EFE

EFE (via 14ymedio), Mexico City, 31 January 2026 — Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente held a telephone call this Friday with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in which both parties reiterated their willingness to strengthen bilateral cooperation on agendas of common interest, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.

In a post on social networks, the Mexican Foreign Ministry indicated that the conversation took place on Friday afternoon and that both officials agreed to promote cooperation between their departments.

For its part, an official statement from the State Department – attributable to the principal deputy spokesman, Tommy Pigott – indicated that Rubio spoke with De la Fuente about “advancing shared priorities and regional security,” without offering further details on specific topics discussed.

The call comes a day after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing a mechanism to impose additional tariffs on imports from countries that directly or indirectly sell or supply oil to Cuba.

At the end of 2025, Mexico became the main supplier of oil to Cuba after the collapse of shipments from Venezuela.

The decree stipulates that the U.S. Department of Commerce will determine whether a country supplies crude oil or petroleum products to the Island, and that the State Department will subsequently recommend whether and to what extent an additional tariff is warranted. continue reading

At the end of 2025, Mexico became the main supplier of oil to Cuba after the collapse of shipments from Venezuela.

Hours earlier, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that her government would seek “different alternatives” to support the Cuban people and warned that the measure could “trigger a far-reaching humanitarian crisis” on the island, impacting hospitals, food, and basic services.

Sheinbaum said she instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to contact the U.S. government to understand precisely the scope of the decree and raise the humanitarian risk, in line with Mexico’s historical stance of solidarity with Cuba.

Last Wednesday, Sheinbaum spoke by phone with her counterpart Trump, in a conversation of almost 40 minutes, which was described as cordial and productive.

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Trump Is Betting That Havana Will Make a “Deal” and That “Cuba Will Be Free Again”

The US president tightens oil sanctions and rules out a humanitarian crisis

“There doesn’t have to be a humanitarian crisis,” Trump said when asked about the Mexican president’s warning. / EFE

14ymedio, Havana, February 1, 2025 — US President Donald Trump asserted this Saturday that Cuba will ultimately seek a “deal” with Washington following the tightening of sanctions against countries that supply oil to the island, and affirmed that this process would allow the country to “be free again.” The declarations, made aboard Air Force One, confirm a strategy of direct pressure on a regime incapable of sustaining its energy system without external aid

“There doesn’t have to be a humanitarian crisis,” Trump said when asked about the warning from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who cautioned about the social impact of cutting off supplies. “I think they’ll probably come to us and want to make a deal. So Cuba will be free again,” the president added, convinced that the gravity of the situation and common sense will force Havana to the negotiating table.

Trump went further in describing the country’s current state. “Cuba is going to collapse pretty soon. Cuba is really a nation that is very close to collapse,” he stated, an assessment that aligns with daily reality: prolonged blackouts, paralyzed transportation, shut-down industries, and hospitals operating at their limits. However, the Cuban government persists with the rhetoric of “heroism” and the “besieged plaza.” President Miguel Díaz-Canel speaks of peace and dialogue, but “without concessions.”

“Cuba lived for many years off large amounts of oil and money from Venezuela… but not anymore.”

On Thursday, the White House formalized its offensive by signing an executive order imposing tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba. The measure seeks to cut off the regime’s last remaining energy supply channels and increase the political and economic cost for its allies. Trump made it clear that this was not a symbolic continue reading

warning. “No more oil or money going to Cuba—zero! I strongly suggest you make a deal, before it’s too late,” the president wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

In that same message, the president emphasized the structural dependence of Castroism. “Cuba lived for many years off large quantities of oil and money from Venezuela… but not anymore,” he stated. The national economy was never self-sufficient and was sustained, first, by Soviet subsidies and, later, by Venezuelan support.

Trump insisted that the island is in a “very bad” situation because that flow of resources has been interrupted. The collapse of the Chavista model and international pressure on Caracas have drastically reduced the shipment of subsidized crude oil, exposing the fragility of the Cuban energy system .

The opacity of the Cuban government makes it impossible to know whether it is willing to negotiate or whether, once again, it will choose to cling to the rhetoric of resistance.

The US president also referred to Mexico, stating that Sheinbaum was “very good” and that he asked her to stop sending oil to Cuba. Although the Mexican government has insisted that its aid is based on “humanitarian” reasons, it has acknowledged diplomatic contacts with Washington and the search for “alternatives” to support the Cuban people without exposing itself to sanctions.

From Havana, Díaz-Canel called the measure “fascist” and denounced an alleged attempt to provoke a deliberate crisis. But this tactic sounds worn out once again. After more than six decades of invoking the “blockade” as the automatic explanation for all its failures, the regime has robbed the word of its power and credibility. Like the boy who cried wolf, now that the net is finally closing in, the alarm no longer has any international impact.

Blackouts have become the most evident symbol of the system’s failure. During peak demand, more than half the country is plunged into darkness. The government manages the shortages with “scheduled” power cuts that paralyze daily life and deepen social discontent, while continuing to blame the embargo for all the country’s problems and avoiding accountability for its own mismanagement.

Trump’s strategy is to use economic pressure to force a change in the regime’s behavior. The Cuban government’s opacity makes it impossible to know whether it is willing to negotiate or whether, once again, it will cling to the rhetoric of resistance, shifting the cost of the crisis onto the population rather than relinquish power or introduce real reforms.

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The Matanzas Court Cancels “Until Further Notice” the Trial of Alina Bárbara López and Jenny Pantoja

Both received a court order on Thursday, in the hours before the hearing, which referred to a reorganization of judicial activity.

Alina Bárbara and Jenny Pantoja during a demonstration in Matanzas. / Facebook

The Matanzas Municipal Court has annulled the trial of Alina Bárbara López Hernándz and Jenny Pantoja, scheduled for this Friday, January 30. Both received a court order on Thursday, in the hours leading up to the hearing, citing a reorganization of judicial activity as the reason for the suspension and indicating that the situation will not change “until a new date is set.”

López and Pantoja are accused of assaulting a police officer for the events of June 18, 2024, when they had an incident with officers attempting to prevent the protests they hold on that day every month. In May 2025, the prosecution requested a four-year prison sentence for the intellectual, which was later commuted to correctional labor without confinement, while for the anthropologist, the request was for three years, also with the option of a correctional labor sentence.

According to Pantoja, who made the court order public on her Facebook account, the lawyer informed her of the receipt of the document shortly after 5:00 p.m. this Thursday. “The trial seems to be dragging on indefinitely. We have been patient, but we are not willing to continue, forever and ever, unjustly limited by precautionary measures,” the activist stated.

Pantoja adds that this is a political trial and that “citizens who, in exercising their rights, suffered the full force of police brutality should never have been prosecuted.” Furthermore, she believes the real reason for suspending the proceedings is the Cuban regime’s intention to “avoid a trial, due to the high cost it entails for them.” continue reading

See this post on Facebook here.

López Hernandez has not yet commented, although both are expected to give further explanations this Friday through the Cuba X Cuba platform.

One person who did speak out was Cuban economist and a friend of the professor, Mauricio de Miranda Parrondo, who asked the judges to have the “courage” to definitively cancel the trial. “Annul this farce, which will be yet another stain of shame on the Cuban judicial system, as are all the sentences handed down by the courts that have tried those who have protested against a regime that keeps the country in misery and expects us all to accept it as if we were servants,” he wrote on social media.

The economist considers the behavior of the island’s judges “shameful,” stating that “they have abdicated their duty to administer justice. When they deliver injustice, they lose their very nature and the respect of the people, because they renounce their duty to submit to power.” De Miranda Parrondo also called for “the release of all political prisoners in Cuba.”

López Hernández and Pantoja reported that on the day of the events for which they are charged, both were victims of mistreatment. According to the professor’s testimony, they were trying to arrest her when the officer used a “martial arts technique,” causing her to fall and hit her head hard. The professor was later diagnosed with post-traumatic labyrinthitis, an inflammation of the inner ear that affects balance.

“The obvious intention is to involve me in a common, not political, process,” said López at the time, who was placed under house arrest.

Torres and Pantoja have received solidarity from friends, intellectuals and international human rights organizations, who are calling for an end to the coercive measures against freedom of expression and assembly.

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63% of Cuba Will Be Without Power This Saturday, a Record for Scheduled Blackouts

Fuel shortages and breakdowns at power plants are pushing Cuba’s electrical system to its most critical level.

The energy sector has suffered from decades of underfunding, lack of maintenance, and absence of structural investment. / 14ymedio

Neither the optimistic tone nor the attempts at calm by Bernardo Espinosa—the state-run journalist in charge of presenting the daily blackout report—manage to conceal the magnitude of the crisis. This Saturday, Cuba will face power outages throughout the day, simultaneously affecting up to 63% of the country at peak demand, the highest percentage recorded so far.

Although the island has suffered massive blackouts and abrupt system failures on other occasions, the figure announced by the state-owned company Unión Eléctrica (UNE) marks a record within the framework of scheduled outages. It is the second highest figure documented so far in January, as just ten days ago a 62% outage was predicted. It is also the worst figure since 2022, when official data on power outages began to be systematically published.

Far from an unforeseen collapse, the Government acknowledges that more than half of the country will be disconnected in a planned manner, an implicit admission that the energy system is losing the capacity every day to sustain basic demand and rationing schemes are no longer sufficient.

Since mid-2024, Cuba has been experiencing an energy crisis exacerbated by frequent breakdowns at its aging thermoelectric power plants and a lack of foreign currency to import the fuel needed for its distributed generation facilities. In recent weeks, this situation has been further complicated by the loss of Venezuela as its main source of energy supplies and by pressure on Mexico, which has further limited the authorities’ room continue reading

for maneuver.

The figure announced by the state-owned company Unión Eléctrica marks a record within the scheme of scheduled outages.

For Saturday’s peak hours – the late afternoon and evening – the UNE (National Union of Electricity Companies) estimates a generation capacity of just 1,160 megawatts (MW), compared to a peak demand estimated at 3,040 MW. The deficit, the gap between available and required energy, will reach 1,880 MW, while the planned outages, that is, the amount that will be deliberately disconnected from the system, will reach 1,910 MW.

Behind these figures lies an exhausted thermoelectric system. Eight of the 16 operational generating units remain out of service due to breakdowns or maintenance. This source of generation, under normal conditions, provides around 40% of the country’s energy mix, so every failure has an immediate impact on supply.

Espinosa insisted that the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant would only be out of service for an estimated 96 hours. However, engineer Félix Estrada, director of the National Load Dispatch Center, was much less certain that the work would be completed within the announced timeframe, a caution that reflects the accumulated experience of delays and missed deadlines.

Meanwhile, the UNE has stopped publishing a key piece of data in its daily reports: the number of distributed generation plants—the generators—that are not operating due to a lack of fuel or lubricants. This omission makes it impossible to accurately measure the impact of the loss of Venezuelan oil, although the other indicators point to a sustained increase in the number of idled generators, reaching record levels.

The energy sector has suffered from decades of underfunding, lack of maintenance and absence of structural investment, all within a system controlled by the State since 1959, without transparency or accountability.

The increasingly widespread and frequently scheduled power outages are having a devastating effect on the economy, which has contracted by more than 15% since 2020, according to official figures. Power outages have also been a key factor in the social protests of recent years, directly impacting daily life, food production, and the functioning of essential services.

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Infant Mortality in Havana Skyrockets to 14 per Thousand Births, the Highest in the Country

The data went unnoticed in the middle of a report from the plenary session of the Provincial Party Committee

This unprecedented crisis is becoming increasingly impossible for the regime to cover up. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 31 January 2026 — Infant mortality in Havana saw a dramatic increase in just one year, rising from 10.2 per 1,000 live births in 2024 to 14 in 2025. This figure, the highest in the country, was acknowledged this Friday by the First Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Communist Party , Liván Izquierdo Alonso, during the last meeting of the Extraordinary Plenum of the Provincial Committee of the Party. In the middle of his report, in which he spoke of exceeding net sales and business profit targets, he discreetly revealed this shocking statistic, which demonstrates the collapse of the healthcare system in which the country finds itself.

The revelation, though brief, hinted at the magnitude of the problem. During his speech, Izquierdo attempted to qualify the figure by pointing out that there are 4% more family doctor’s offices in the capital than last year, an improvement that in theory should bring healthcare closer to the population, but which in practice fails to offset the increase in mortality.

Last year, the chikungunya and dengue epidemic overwhelmed the island’s healthcare system, claiming the lives of 8,500 people, the vast majority of whom were children. These arbovirus-caused diseases, which normally have a relatively low mortality rate, became a major threat due to the country’s deteriorating hygiene, sanitation, and food security. The combination of epidemic outbreaks, a lack of medical resources, insufficient medicines, and the nutritional vulnerability of many children created a scenario that authorities now recognize as a health emergency unlike anything seen since 2021, the most critical year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba. continue reading

Adding to this worrying situation is the low birth rate: last year ended with 3,108 fewer births than in 2024.

Just a month ago, at the end of 2025, the Ministry of Public Health announced a worrying increase in infant mortality in Cuba, which rose from 7.1 to 9.7 deaths per 1,000 live births in a single year—figures that already signaled the accelerating crisis across the country. In Havana, the figures skyrocketed from 10.2 at the end of 2024 to 14 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2025, a jump that reflects an alarming trend. Since 2020, Havana has remained above the national average.

Adding to this worrying situation is the low birth rate: last year ended with 3,108 fewer births than in 2024, while the mass exodus that, according to Cuban demographer Juan Carlos Albizu-Campos , has reduced the island’s population by 24% in just four years, is contributing to a shift in the country’s demographic structure. The island is gradually aging; more than a third of its inhabitants are over sixty, and young people represent a decreasing proportion of the Cuban population—they are the ones who emigrate the most—a reality that also influences the country’s social and health dynamics.

This unprecedented crisis is becoming increasingly impossible for the regime to conceal, a regime that until recently boasted of being a leader in healthcare in the region. In 2018, the country recorded an infant mortality rate of 3.9 per 1,000 live births, although several experts questioned the accuracy of this figure, which was by far the best in the Americas. In any case, the contrast with the 2025 figures highlights the brutal deterioration of the healthcare situation in less than a decade.

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The Cuban Regime’s Response to Trump: “Homeland or Death”

“The president of the Empire is behaving like Hitler, with a criminal, contemptuous policy aimed at taking over the world,” Díaz-Canel said.
Despite everything, Havana does not rule out maintaining a “serious, responsible dialogue based on international law” with the US.

The discourse, repeated for more than six decades, no longer disguises the lack of new ideas or the profound decay of the model. / Cubadebate

14ymedio, Havana, January 31, 2026 — Faced with increasing pressure from Washington and the accelerating loss of its fuel suppliers, the Cuban government has once again recycled its oldest and most predictable response: “Homeland or Death.” There are no indications that they have an alternative economic program. Nor are there any visible political reforms or signs of internal course correction. Only rhetoric.

The phrase resurfaced this Friday, uttered by President Miguel Díaz-Canel in a speech widely reported by Cubadebate, and was reiterated hours later in an official statement sent to the international press. The message offers nothing new; in the face of the latest US sanctions, the strategy remains the same.

The discourse, repeated for over six decades, no longer disguises the absence of new ideas or the profound decay of the model. The official narrative once again revolves around a “decline empire,” constant external aggression, and a heroic country that resists. But it carefully avoids any reference to its own mistakes, the structural inefficiency of the system, or the lack of freedoms and rights.

The scene is all too reminiscent of Venezuela in the days leading up to Nicolás Maduro’s arrest. Then, as now in Cuba, the government’s rhetoric combined calls for peace, accusations of international conspiracies, and a supposed willingness to engage in dialogue “without preconditions,” while in practice not a single real political concession was offered. The outcome is well known.

In Havana, the script is repeated almost verbatim. Díaz-Canel asserts that Cuba is willing to engage in dialogue with the United States, but only continue reading

“on equal terms,” without “interference” and without touching the pillars of the system. In other words, a dialogue to change nothing. A rhetorical exchange without consequences, designed more for international consumption than to solve the daily problems of the population.

The regime’s alliances have also failed to translate into economic stability or relief for an island facing its worst crisis.

The government reaffirms its commitment to “continue working with friendly countries,” alluding to Russia, China, and Iran, presented as geopolitical counterweights to Washington. But this alliance, more symbolic than effective, has also failed to translate into economic stability or relief for an island facing its worst crisis in the last three decades.

The official statement insists that the United States has failed in its attempt to “surrender and destroy” the Revolution for 67 years. However, the text omits a key question: what has the Cuban government itself achieved during that same period to guarantee prosperity, rights, and sustained well-being for its citizens?

The energy crisis, aggravated by the suspension of Venezuelan supplies and US pressure on Mexico, is presented exclusively as a consequence of the “blockade,” when in reality it is also the result of decades of mismanagement, lack of investment and centralized decisions that scare away capital and talent.

Even Havana’s traditional allies no longer hide their frustration with a state incapable of honoring its financial commitments or undertaking even minimal reforms to stabilize its exhausted economy. This is compounded by the apparent normalization of non-payment and an ever-increasing dependence on donations and political concessions, accepted as simply part of the system’s normal operation.

The regime presents itself as a “peaceful people,” open to dialogue, but it intensifies the mechanisms of internal repression.

Belligerent rhetoric is also accompanied by an increasingly bombastic tone. The words used to define the United States are designed for ideological mobilization, not for diplomacy or the resolution of real conflicts. And they reinforce the perception of a power trapped within its own narrative.

Meanwhile, official figures presented at recent party rallies paint a far less rosy picture, with a collapsed transportation system, industrial production well below projections, stagnant housing, and rising infant mortality. All of this, according to the official narrative, is being managed with more slogans and calls for resistance, but with no concrete solutions in sight.

The regime presents itself as a “peaceful people,” open to dialogue, but it intensifies internal repression, persecutes dissent, and maintains absolute control over political life. It calls for international “understanding” while denying fundamental rights within its borders. It speaks of popular sovereignty without allowing free elections or pluralism.

“Patria o Muerte” [Fatherland or Death] thus functions once again as a closing slogan, but not as a project for the future. A useful phrase for uniting the ruling elite and justifying inaction, but increasingly distant from an exhausted citizenry that demands not epic narratives but concrete solutions: electricity, food, medicine, transportation, and freedom.

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Some 50 Cuban Migrants Are Stranded at the Guantanamo Naval Base

Havana doesn’t want to receive them, and Washington doesn’t know what to do with them.

File photo of an area of the detention center at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo. / EFE/ Marta Garde

14ymedio, Havana, January 3o, 2025 — Dozens of Cuban migrants detained in the United States have been stranded for weeks at the Guantanamo Naval Base. The story was revealed this Thursday by The New York Times (NYT) in a report by journalist Carol Rosenberg, the newspaper’s correspondent in Guantanamo for more than twenty years and one of the reporters with the best knowledge of the base’s inner workings.

According to the US newspaper, around 50 Cuban men, aged between 20 and 50, were transferred to Guantanamo in December and January as part of an operation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Many of them had been detained in the United States for months, some with work permits and pending asylum applications. Faced with uncertainty, several agreed to return to Cuba. But they never imagined the flight would end at the naval base.

Since then, they have remained confined in military facilities, first in former barracks and, more recently, in Camp 6, a prison that for years housed jihadists. The transfer occurred, according to sources cited by the Times, due to technical problems in other buildings on the base.

The principle obstacle isn’t in Washington, but in Havana. Cuba maintains severe restrictions on flights from the base to the rest of the country. For one of these men to reach Cuban soil, he would first have to fly to a U.S. city and from there board another plane to Cuba. That operation, which U.S. officials claim to have considered, was never carried out. continue reading

Cuba is among the countries most reluctant to accept the return of its own deported citizens.

There have been no official declarations from the Cuban government, no press releases, and no public explanations regarding the situation of these citizens. Nor have there been any visible efforts to expedite their return. The only known policy is the acceptance of a single monthly deportation flight from the United States, a number that Washington has unsuccessfully requested be increased, according to diplomatic sources cited by the newspaper. In fact, the flight scheduled for January should have departed yesterday—they always leave on the last Thursday of each month, unless it coincides with a US holiday—and it has not yet taken place.

The lack of gestures on the part of Havana has created a moment of heightened tension with the Trump administration, which, following the arrest of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, has maintained intense pressure on the island, declaring it an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to its national security and foreign policy. According to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity , the regime has continued to refuse to increase the frequency of repatriation flights.

According to Refugees International, Cuba is among the countries most reluctant to accept the return of its own deported citizens. “The Cuban government doesn’t want to receive them back,” confirmed Yael Schacher, an analyst with the organization, quoted by the NYT, noting that the current economic crisis—marked by blackouts, food shortages, and fuel scarcity—reinforces that posture.

The result is a limbo in which Cubans are trapped between two governments, with no clear rights or defined timelines. Some have managed to call relatives in the US, who in turn have informed family members on the island. On social media, wives and mothers have created support groups where rumors of release, messages of faith, and snippets of phone calls from the base circulate.

An order signed by President Trump in January 2025 instructed that the base be prepared to receive up to 30,000 deportees.

The immigration operation that brought them to Guantanamo originated from an order signed by President Trump in January 2025, instructing that the base be prepared to receive up to 30,000 deportees. A year later, the actual number is far from that target. According to the New York Times itself, some 780 people have passed through the base under this scheme, without the U.S. government having demonstrated that most of them had criminal records.

The cost of the operation is also not transparent. The Pentagon acknowledged to Congress that the first month cost $40 million. Since then, no official figures have been released. Democratic Senator Gary Peters, chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, estimated that the cost of the operation could reach about $100,000 per day for each migrant detained at the base.

Tom Cartwright, an activist and migrant rights advocate who has monitored ICE flights for years, questioned the necessity of Guantanamo as a transit station for these deportations. In his view, the use of the base is not based on a real logistical need, but rather on a political decision.

Cartwright believes that the Cubans held in Guantanamo serve as a tool of pressure against Havana, in an attempt to force the Cuban government to accept more than one monthly repatriation flight, a demand that has so far been rejected.

Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security has responded to questions from the Times about why these men are still there or when they will be transferred. Nor has the Havana regime.

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Delcy Rodríguez Proposes a General Amnesty Law for Political Prisoners in Venezuela

The Judicial Revolution Commission and the Program for Coexistence and Peace will present the law to the National Assembly

File photo of Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez. / EFE/ Rayner Peña R.

EFE (via 14ymedio), Caracas, 30 January 2026 — Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, proposed a general amnesty law on Friday to release political prisoners who have been detained from 1999 to the present, a period that covers the Chavista governments.

“I want to announce that we have decided to promote a general amnesty law that covers the entire period of political violence from 1999 to the present,” Rodríguez said at the opening ceremony of the judicial year at the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), broadcast by the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).

The Chavista leader instructed the Judicial Revolution Commission and the Program for Coexistence and Peace to present the law to the National Assembly (AN, Parlamento) in the “coming hours,” as well as to provide “maximum collaboration” to the legislative body for its approval.

“May it be a law that serves to repair the wounds left by political confrontation, by violence, by extremism, that serves to redirect justice in our country and that serves to redirect coexistence among Venezuelans,” she added.

“I want to announce that we have decided to promote a general amnesty law that covers the entire period of political violence from 1999 to the present.”

The Chavista leader asked the country’s political prisoners, including those who have already been released, to “not allow revenge, retaliation, or hatred to prevail.”

Rodríguez indicated that this proposed law excludes those continue reading

prosecuted or convicted for homicide, drug trafficking, and human rights violations.

Several NGOs have been calling for a general amnesty for all political prisoners for years, simultaneously submitting various draft laws. The latest was proposed last Tuesday by the Surgentes organization and the Mothers for Truth Committee.

The text from the NGO and the Committee included 12 articles and proposed amnesty for “all those people who have been persecuted, social activists, journalists, members of victims’ committees, military personnel and people persecuted or deprived of their liberty in the context of post-election mobilizations.”

Earlier this month, a parliamentary faction in Venezuela also proposed an amnesty law to, it argued, bring “peace of mind” to the families of people “who are unjustly detained.”

“May it be a law that serves to heal the wounds left by political confrontation, by violence, by extremism, that serves to restore justice in our country.”

Currently, according to the NGO Foro Penal, there are 711 political prisoners, but the Venezuelan government denied that there were people detained in the country for these reasons and stated that those detained committed crimes, mostly related to terrorism.

The last time an amnesty law was enacted in Venezuela was in December 2007, when the late President Hugo Chávez (1999-2013) pardoned people involved in the 2002 coup against him.

In 2016, Parliament, then controlled by the opposition, passed an amnesty law, which was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), which is aligned with Chavismo, and so the law could never be applied.

In August 2020, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro granted, by decree, 110 pardons to opposition members, union leaders, and social actors accused of various crimes, ahead of legislative elections held in December of that year, an event that the majority of the opposition did not attend.

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Cuba’s Oil Union ‘Cupet’ Labels as ‘False’ a Statement Announcing the Suspension of Fuel Sales to the Public

Reporters from 14ymedio and users confirm widespread shortages in Havana and Matanzas

Lines outside the Oro Negro gas station in Matanzas. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana / Matanzas, Olea Gallardo / Pablo Padilla Cruz, January 30, 2026 – “They’re all false, the capital is paralyzed.” Comments like this are how users in groups dedicated to gasoline sales in Havana responded to the this Thursday about a false official statement.

The spurious text, reproduced by the state company itself, bears Cupet’s letterhead and colors. “Given the serious fuel supply situation affecting the country, worsened by the intensification of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the Government of the United States and the external pressures exerted on our traditional suppliers,” reads the note in the usual government prose, “the Cuba-Petroleum Union (Cupet) and the Ministry of Tourism inform the population and the tourism sector as follows: It has been decided to temporarily halt the general supply of fuel at gas stations and state points of sale as of the date of issuance of this statement and until further notice.”

The measure, the supposedly fake document continued, was “inevitable due to the interruption of imported supplies, caused by hostile actions and foreign pressures that limit access to essential energy resources,” something consistent with the growing hostility from the United States, especially after the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, to prevent fuel from reaching the island.

The statement was not implausible, as it doubled down on blaming “unilateral coercive measures imposed by foreign powers”

The statement was not implausible, as it doubled down on blaming “unilateral coercive measures imposed by foreign powers” and urged people to “avoid non-essential travel and coordinate continue reading

any priority needs with local authorities.” A “controlled and limited supply” would be allocated to “essential” sectors such as health care, public transportation, electricity generation, and tourism, the text also said, ending with a call for “unity, discipline, and solidarity among all Cuban men and women in these difficult times.”

In a brief tweet, Cupet rejected all of this information, asserting: “This note circulating on some digital media is false. Fuel supplies to the country’s network of gas stations have not been halted.”

However, reports published in recent days by 14ymedio and comments from customers at gas stations in the capital show just how closely reality resembles what the fake Cupet statement described. “There’s hardly any gasoline anywhere. I went by the ones in El Vedado and nothing; at the one at 5th and 120 they came out and said there was little left, not enough for everyone,” one person wrote, referring to stations that sell in pesos.

“At Línea and E people slept there, so the line is intact; nobody is leaving until they restock,” another complained. “Only Zapata and 4 have served regular gas today,” a third reported. A fourth tried to excuse the situation by mentioning stations that have switched to dollar sales: “This story doesn’t change; every day it’s the same stations selling in pesos. Today they already served Coyula, Corral Falso, Infanta, El Mar, Guanabo, Camilo Cienfuegos, Santa María del Rosario, and Hatuey.”

An empty gas station in Matanzas. / 14ymedio

Questions keep coming in the chats. “Does anyone know what’s going on with the Cupet station at G and 25, since the Ticket isn’t advancing?” asked a young man, referring to the app that acts as a “virtual line” to buy fuel. The reply was blunt: “None of them are moving; they’re only serving stations that operate in DOL-LARS, so we’re going to have to get used to paying for gasoline in the currency they wanted to eliminate with the economic restructuring and that now is stronger than ever.” The commenter didn’t stop there and, with emojis and capital letters, added ironically: “Before, 1 dollar was worth 25 CUP and now 1 dollar is worth… So down with the blockade or down with whoever needs to go down.”

The situation in Havana has worsened with the arrival of a cold front from the north. Due to possible storm surges, pumps have been removed from both the El Tángana gas station, located at the Malecón and 13th Avenue, and Riviera, also on the seafront.

Meanwhile, in the provinces, gasoline shortages are also a major source of tension. Added to this, customers complain, is the poor communication of Cimex, the commercial company in charge of gas stations and part of the military conglomerate Gaesa.

In recent weeks in Matanzas, the state company briefly announced fuel sales via the Ticket app, setting a limit of 100 slots for power generators and 50 for motor vehicles. The information, shared with almost no details and even reposted by company employees on social media, sparked a wave of indignation among citizens.

“It is shameful that an entity that forces its workers to post these notes isn’t capable of explaining where, how, and when fuel can be bought”

“It’s shameful that an entity that forces its workers to post these notes isn’t capable of explaining where, how, and when fuel can be bought,” complained Jean Michel, a resident of the Versalles neighborhood. “I wasted hours of my time because they didn’t specify that at the San Luis gas station they were only serving users with power generators.”

He wasn’t the only one confused. Residents of Peñas Altas say the new sales modality raises more questions than answers. “Who exactly is it aimed at—private individuals, state entities, public transport?” asks Ania, who lives in the neighborhood. “In what currency is it sold, CUP or MLC? What amount are we entitled to?” According to her, not even workers at the Oro Negro or Bellamar stations have been able to clarify matters. “Those people think we ordinary folks have time to figure everything out,” complained Marlene, another neighbor.

The confusion also affects Cimex employees themselves. A company worker, who asked not to be identified, told this newspaper that they often share information they themselves don’t know.

“I’m not a communications specialist. I never studied that, but they force me to post on my personal profile things I don’t even know where they come from,” she complained. In her view, at company headquarters “there’s either a lot of inexperience or they simply don’t care how decisions are communicated.” The priority, she says, is to announce that a station is opening, without explaining under what rules or conditions.

Not even workers at the Oro Negro or Bellamar stations have been able to clear up the doubts. / 14ymedio

This information vacuum has eroded public trust and multiplied wasted time and citizen frustration, especially when it comes to a vital resource. Although slots have been allocated for registered power generators and private vehicles, fear that fuel will run out persists. The turns in line advance extremely slowly and satisfy no one.

Raudel, a resident of the Iglesias neighborhood, has been waiting since last November for his turn—number 613—to buy diesel at the Bellamar station. “When they do have fuel, it’s 50 people at a time, maybe once a month if you’re lucky. If everything goes well, maybe in December I’ll be able to buy what I’m entitled to… and then wait again,” he says resignedly.

Among motorcyclists engaged in informal transport, the situation is even more critical. Darío, who works ferrying passengers, explains that the assigned gasoline doesn’t even come close to meeting his needs. “In USD we can get it at 1.10 or 1.20, but when there isn’t any, which is most of the time, you have to buy from hoarders at 650 or 700 pesos a liter. Do the math for a trip that uses half a liter and tell me if that’s profitable.”

Although the 50 liters sold through the Ticket app somewhat ease the economic burden, the process is riddled with technical and organizational obstacles. “Everything is a problem—the registration, the email, the turn… and when it’s time to distribute, nobody knows anything. Not Cimex, not Cupet, not the workers,” Darío says, adding a common complaint: “Meanwhile, government cars, the Minint [Ministry of the Interior], and the FAR [Armed Forces] fill up without lining up; they have their own station. There’s never a fuel shortage there.”

The deep energy crisis goes beyond national borders and threatens to deepen the collapse of tourism. In one of the Telegram groups for gas stations, a man identifying himself as Gustavo from Argentina asked for help this Thursday to see whether anyone could provide information about gas stations in Cienfuegos, Trinidad, and Ciego de Ávila for a car he had rented from Transtur for an upcoming trip to the island. Replies from some users, saying there are stations where one can pay with international cards, did not reassure him.

In another message, he says he has no guarantee that the vehicle will be delivered with a full tank or that he will be able to refuel in the provinces, and he complains that Transtur has not responded to emails or WhatsApp for three days. “I don’t know how I’m going to manage getting a refund for the car rental; it’s $700,” he says, concluding: “Unfortunately, I’m going to have to cancel my trip to get to know Cuba.” Another commenter replies bluntly: “Cancel your trip! It’s the right decision.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuba and the U.S. Accuse Each Other of Being a Threat to Regional Peace

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez condemns Washington’s intention to “impose a total blockade on fuel supplies” to the Island
The president of the state news agency Prensa Latina accuses Trump of seeking “a genocide of the Cuban people”
China condemns U.S. measures against energy supplies

U.S. and Cuban flags in front of the U.S. Embassy in Havana / EFE / Ernesto Mastrascusa

14ymedio, Madrid, January 30, 2026 – Cubans were heatedly debating whether the new U.S. measure to impose tariffs on countries that deliver oil to the Island is good news that would bring down the regime or a punishment that would be borne by the people. Into that debate stepped Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, with his usual verbosity: “We condemn in the strongest terms the new escalation by the United States against Cuba. It now proposes to impose a total blockade on fuel supplies to our country,” he wrote on his X account.

The minister added: “To justify it, it relies on a long list of lies that attempt to portray Cuba as a threat that it is not. Every day there is new evidence that the only threat to peace, security, and stability in the region, and the only malign influence, is that exerted by the U.S. government against the nations and peoples of Our America, whom it seeks to subject to its dictates, strip of their resources, mutilate their sovereignty, and deprive of their independence.”

Rodríguez denounced that the U.S. is resorting “to blackmail and coercion, trying to get other countries to join its universally condemned policy of blockade against Cuba, and threatening those that refuse with the imposition of arbitrary and abusive tariffs, in violation of all norms of free trade.” This statement has accumulated more than 200 reactions for and against, among which one stands out as particularly interesting: “And besides condemning, what else is your regime going to do? Because you’re going to be left with zero fuel.”

For her part, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum appealed this Friday to the principle of national sovereignty to defend crude shipments to Cuba through Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex). According to the president, the imposition of tariffs announced by the U.S. government “could trigger a far-reaching humanitarian crisis.” continue reading

“We have to know the scope, because we also don’t want to put our country at risk in terms of tariffs,” said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum

However, Sheinbaum said she wants to know the scope of the announced measure so as not to “put Mexico at risk,” and therefore instructed the foreign minister, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, to establish immediate communication with the U.S. State Department.

The recent threat by U.S. President Donald Trump comes amid negotiations over the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA). Trump has threatened to pull his country out and negotiate bilateral agreements, as he has already done with some nations.

“We have to know the scope, because we also don’t want to put our country at risk in terms of tariffs,” the president said at her usual morning press conference, this time from Tijuana, Baja California.

Sheinbaum insisted that Mexico “will always seek the diplomatic route” and called, “first, for the self-determination of peoples and, second, to avoid a humanitarian crisis for the Cuban people.”

For the moment, there does not appear to be a plan within the Cuban government, whose only available mechanism for now is rhetoric. “Having to resort to so much abuse against Cuba is the greatest recognition by the U.S. executioners of their own defeat. Long live Cuba and down with the criminal siege of the U.S. We will resist, we will defend the peace we conquered through struggle. We will live and we will prevail!” wrote the deputy head of the Cuban mission in Mexico, Johana Tablada, in a tone similar to her minister’s tweets.

Going even further was the president of the state news agency Prensa Latina, Jorge Legañoa, who was the very first voice of officialdom to speak out on Cuban television, in a special news broadcast. “What is being sought? What is being sought is a genocide of the Cuban people, and if it materializes through tariffs, the effect would be to paralyze electricity generation, transportation, industrial production, agricultural production, the availability of health services, the water supply… in short, all spheres of life, asphyxiation by the U.S. government.”

Legañoa denied one by one all the accusations contained in the executive order signed by Donald Trump this Thursday. “Cuba is not a threat to national security and never has been,” he maintained. He then rejected claims that there are Russian or Chinese facilities on the Island, that there is cooperation with terrorism, and that political opponents are persecuted and tortured. He also accused the U.S. of harboring terrorists, citing the late Luis Posada Carriles as an example.

The journalist described the new measure as “an act of aggression” and called on the international community to choose whether or not to join that blockade policy. “We ask ourselves whether the world will be governed by the use of force to impose the will of one state over another and compel a third to join in,” he reflected.

“We ask ourselves whether the world will be governed by the use of force to impose the will of one state over another and compel a third to join in”

Legañoa stressed that no country can survive without fossil energy and accused the U.S., after seven decades of failing to do so, of trying to bring down a “legitimate system of full sovereignty, social justice, and the promotion of peace and solidarity with the rest of the world. Let us not be deceived by another blow from the empire,” he concluded.

Legañoa’s appeal to other countries has found its first response in China, which this Friday condemned the measure, considering that it violates Cuba’s sovereignty and deprives its population of the right to development. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a press conference that Beijing “firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security,” and opposes “external interference” and “actions and even inhumane practices that deprive the Cuban people of their right to survival and development.” He also reiterated support for lifting the embargo and any pressure policy.

Nevertheless, the response does not differ from statements made in previous days or from those China once made regarding Maduro’s Venezuela. This Tuesday, Guo used very similar language when the new executive order was not yet known. “We urge the U.S. side to stop depriving the Cuban people of their right to survival and development, to end the blockade and the sanctions against Cuba,” he said, adding that China will continue to support the Island “within its capabilities.”

Attention is now turning to Russia, which in 2026 supplied about 6,000 barrels of fuel per day, according to the University of Texas Energy Institute. For the moment, the Kremlin has not spoken, although Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, did address a related issue: the chances that the U.S. could achieve political change on the Island similar to what it achieved in Caracas. “In Venezuela, without a doubt, a betrayal took place. It is something spoken about quite openly. A part of the senior officials, in fact, betrayed the president,” Nebenzya said in statements to Russian television. He added: “That little trick won’t work in Cuba.”

“In Venezuela, without a doubt, a betrayal took place. That little trick won’t work in Cuba”

Another focal point is Mexico, Cuba’s main crude supplier after Venezuela. This Thursday, before Trump’s measure was announced, the U.S. president spoke with his Mexican counterpart, Claudia Sheinbaum, in what he described as a “very productive” conversation on border issues and drug trafficking. “Mexico has a wonderful and very intelligent leader. They should be very happy with that!” the president remarked.

Sheinbaum, for her part, has spent several days carefully navigating the issue with the press, which has persistently asked about the cancellation of a Pemex crude shipment that was supposed to arrive in Cuba at the end of January. The Mexican president maintained that it was a “sovereign” decision by the state company and that crude would continue to be sent depending on the company’s decisions or, failing that, on a government decision for “humanitarian reasons.” In 2025, between 6,000 and 12,000 barrels per day arrived on the Island from Mexico, depending on estimates. Although two weeks ago the U.S. Secretary of Energy said he would not pressure Mexico to suspend those exports, Trump’s latest statements point in the opposite direction.

“It seems it won’t be able to survive. Cuba won’t be able to survive,” the U.S. president said last night. When asked whether he is trying to “strangle” Cuba, he replied that the word is “very harsh,” but insisted that the Island is “a failed nation.”

“You have to feel sorry for Cuba because they have treated people very badly. We have many Cuban Americans who were treated very badly and would like to return,” he said to close the matter.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The First Shipment of a Chinese Donation of 30,000 Tonnes of Rice Arrives in Cuba.

Havana and Santiago de Cuba each received 2,400 tonnes, with a delivery ceremony held in the capital.

El viceprimer ministro, Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, y el embajador chino, Hua Xin, estuvieron al frente de la ceremonia de La Habana. / Canal Caribe

14ymedio, Madrid, 20 January 2026 — Up to 30,000 tonnes of rice will arrive in Cuba from China in the coming weeks, according to an announcement made by the official press on Monday, reporting the arrival of the first 2,400 tonnes in Havana and the same amount in Santiago de Cuba. The delivery in the capital was marked by a reception ceremony attended by authorities, including Deputy Prime Minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga and Chinese Ambassador Hua Xin.

“This assistance is another tangible sign of the solidarity that unites us. We are confident that, with the joint efforts of both countries, no difficulty will be able to hinder our path forward,” said the diplomat at the ceremony, held at the Ministry of Domestic Trade’s Loading and Unloading Centre.

“We deeply appreciate and are grateful for this assistance at a difficult time when levels of aggression are rising and the United States’ economic, commercial and financial blockade against the Cuban people is intensifying in an unprecedented manner,” said Pérez-Oliva.

“We deeply appreciate and are grateful for this assistance at a difficult time when levels of aggression are rising and the economic, commercial and financial blockade is intensifying in an unprecedented manner.”

In the provinces of Pinar del Río, Artemisa and Mayabeque, two pounds per person will be delivered, while in Havana it will be one continue reading

and a half pounds and on Isla de la Juventud one pound. However, it is not clear how much will reach the east, although the provinces of Guantánamo, Granma and Santiago de Cuba were specifically mentioned.

According to Hua Xin, the next shipment of 15,000 tonnes is already ready to set sail, and a quarter of the total – 9,600 tonnes – will be distributed in the middle of next month.

The donation is part of China’s Emergency Food Aid Project to Cuba, under which similar shipments have already been delivered. In 2024, China delivered just over 20,400 tonnes as part of the same programme, the first shipment of which – 408 tonnes – arrived in six flights due to the urgent nature of the situation on the island at the time. South Korea and, in particular, Vietnam are other countries that have made similar donations of grain.

However, this aid barely covers a fraction of the population’s needs, which traditionally consumed around 600,000 tonnes per year.

For this year, the authorities announced the planting of around 200,000 hectares, double the amount in 2025, but still far from the country’s needs. In 2024, Cuba harvested around 80,000 tonnes, 30% of what it produced six years earlier. Between 2012 and 2018, the island experienced growth in harvests, exceeding 300,000 tonnes.

The amount was still insufficient for the population, forcing the country to import as well. However, in 2024, almost 100% of the rice distributed through the ration card system had to be purchased.

However, in 2024, almost 100% of the rice distributed through the ration book had to be purchased.

Attempts to boost yields have so far proved unsuccessful, as can be seen by comparing the yields produced on land granted in usufruct to the Vietnamese company AgriVMA. While national production yields around two to 2.5 tonnes per hectare – compared to the five tonnes achieved in the past – the Asian company achieves 7.2 tonnes on its land in Pinar del Río.
Furthermore, according to data from the inter-state cooperation programme, yields of up to 9.14 tonnes per hectare have been reported for some of the varieties used in this joint project.

At the end of last year, Roberto Caballero, a member of the National Executive Committee of Agricultural and Forestry Technicians, sparked heated controversy when he commented on the television programme Cuadrando la Caja that the State was allocating resources beyond its means to the rice production programme, a crop that, in his opinion, is not suited to the soil and climate conditions of the island – just like potatoes. The technician proposed focusing efforts on products with a greater chance of success and stated that neither of these two crops was culturally national. “We are not Asian, this is not a Cuban habit,” he stressed, provoking endless criticism on social media.

Translated by GH

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Unilever Evacuates Its Workers in Cuba Amid Fears of a U.S. Intervention

According to the EFE news agency, companies and embassies on the Island are “updating their evacuation plans and their lists of resident nationals”

The Unilever Suchel plant was inaugurated in 2022 in the Mariel Special Development Zone, in Artemisa. / Granma

14ymedio / EFE, Havana, January 29, 2026 – The British multinational Unilever, which produces personal hygiene and cleaning products in the Mariel Special Development Zone in partnership with the state-owned company Suchel, has evacuated its foreign workers from Cuba. This was reported by EFE, citing two sources close to the company who requested anonymity, as Unilever itself did not respond to questions from the Spanish news agency.

Not only companies but also embassies, EFE reported this Thursday, are reviewing their contingency and evacuation plans as a result of U.S. pressure on the Island following the operation carried out on January 3 in Venezuela that ended with the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

The Spanish agency contacted foreign diplomatic and business sources who confirmed that concern has escalated in recent weeks amid growing geopolitical uncertainty in the Caribbean and the possibility that the United States could even be preparing a military intervention.

“It is our responsibility to review plans and prepare scenarios,” a diplomat in Havana told EFE.

“It is our responsibility to review plans and prepare scenarios,” said a diplomat in Havana who asked that her name be withheld “due to the sensitivity of the issue.”

Nearly a dozen European and Latin American countries acknowledged to the Spanish agency that they are “updating their evacuation plans and their lists of nationals residing in Cuba, in some cases calling their citizens one by one to verify the information.” continue reading

Likewise, there are diplomatic missions preparing to endure long periods without electricity, fuel, and water, eventualities they believe could arise from the combination of the current context of total crisis on the Island and increasing U.S. pressure.

A minority of embassies—unnamed by EFE—said they do not see the need to update their evacuation plans for now, although they did not rule out doing so at some point and said they remain alert to the possibility that emergency procedures may need to be activated in the future.

As for the private sector, the agency reports that several subsidiaries of international companies privately acknowledge that geopolitical uncertainty has led them to reconsider their activities in Cuba with their parent companies.

The reasons cited include a potential U.S. military intervention, however limited it might be (as in Venezuela), and the impact on their operations of the country’s severe economic deterioration, especially the increase in power outages and the critical shortage of fuel.

If shipments of crude oil and derivatives from Venezuela and Mexico are definitively cut, maintaining production will be unsustainable

Some international firms—always under condition of anonymity—say they have fuel reserves for their manufacturing operations, but warn that if shipments of crude oil and derivatives from Venezuela and Mexico are definitively cut, it will be impossible to sustain production.

Since Maduro’s capture, the United States has issued several direct warnings to Cuba and has forced the cessation of Venezuelan oil supplies to Havana, the Island’s main source of fuel for more than 25 years. In the midst of that campaign, and without explanations from the government, Mexico also canceled a crude oil shipment to the Island that had been planned for January on a vessel that will now end up in Denmark.

This same week, U.S. President Donald Trump said that, following the energy shutdown, Cuba is “about to fall,” and just yesterday, during a Senate hearing, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would “love” to see a change of “regime” on the Island, although he clarified that this did not mean Washington would provoke it.

Trump had previously gone further, stating that the only thing left to do in Cuba was to “go in and destroy the place,” to which Rubio added: “If I were in Havana, I would be worried, even if just a little.”

U.S. Under Secretary of State Christopher Landau himself said on Wednesday that Washington would like Cubans to be able to “exercise their fundamental freedoms” as early as 2026, a clear reference to political change on the Island.

According to an exclusive published last Thursday by The Wall Street Journal, what the U.S. administration is prioritizing is the search for a “traitor” within the Cuban regime who—much as it is doing with Delcy Rodríguez in Venezuela—could help facilitate a transition to democracy on the Island.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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