UN Warns US Sanctions Push Cuba Toward Humanitarian Crisis

United Nations rights experts warned on Thursday that U.S. sanctions are pushing Cuba toward a full-blown crisis. While a trade embargo has existed since 1962, Donald Trump recently intensified pressure by cutting fuel supplies and threatening to take over the island.

An effective oil blockade imposed since January has caused widespread power outages and the failure of energy, transport, and irrigation services. These disruptions have disproportionately impacted vulnerable populations, threatening the basic rights to health, life, and food.

Special rapporteurs from the United Nations Human Rights Council called for the U.S. government to revoke all measures contrary to international law. They further urged the UN Security Council and General Assembly to address the situation as a matter of international peace and security, asserting that food must not be used as a political instrument.