Women In Cuba Held A Protest Against The US’ Oil Blockade That’s Plunging The Island Into A Crisis
The US embargo on Cuba is considered one of the longest-active trade embargoes in modern history.
Hundreds of women in Cuba took to the streets to call for an end to the US embargo on oil, which is plunging the island into a crisis.
Since 1960, the US has imposed a trade embargo on Cuba, preventing US businesses and people from trading with the island, which has made it harder and more expensive for Cubans to access food, medicine and basic necessities.
Cuba relies heavily on oil for electricity and imports most of its oil from Venezuela.
In early January, the US captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, which disrupted oil shipments to Cuba.
US President Donald Trump then signed an executive order placing an oil blockade on Cuba by increasing tariffs on any country providing oil to the island.
Trump has said the measures are intended to force a regime change, warning Cuba could “fall very soon”.
The blockade has caused multiple nationwide power outages, leaving millions without electricity or fuel for transportation, as well as threatening the lives of patients in hospitals.
In late March, Russia, a longtime ally to Cuba, delivered 700,000 barrels of crude oil to the island, providing about seven to 10 days of supply after three months of blockade, according to Reuters.
On Tuesday, April 8, the Federation of Cuban Women organized a march to protest the blockade.
“It affects us daily, in our families, in hospitals, at home, regarding supplies, and in many other things we need on a daily basis,” a member told Reuters. ”We have endured 67 years of the blockade; therefore, this is a way for us to speak out today against the blockade imposed on our country.”
The US embargo on Cuba is considered one of the longest-active trade embargoes in modern history.
Over 80% of Cuba’s population has only known Cuba under the blockade, according to the UN.
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