Nigeria, other countries demand end to US blockade of Cuba

Nigeria and the bulk of other UN members have voted for an end to the US embargo on Cuba, which is crippling the nation. 

The decision handed on Wednesday with 130 countries in favour. This included a majority of African countries. Morocco was the one African nation that voted in assist of the blockade. PREMIUM TIMES beforehand reported the sturdy historic and bilateral ties between Cuba and African states. 

A complete of 17 countries opposed the decision, together with the US and Israel. Also, 25 countries abstained, together with Germany and Italy, which had beforehand voted in favour. 

This decision has been put ahead and accredited yearly since 1992. Last yr, greater than 160 countries backed the proposal. Although not legally binding, the decision displays worldwide opinion of the unlawful US blockade of Cuba.

The decision requires lifting the financial, commerce, and monetary embargo in opposition to the island nation.

Earlier within the yr, the Donald Trump administration launched further sanctions that reduce off oil shipments to Cuba. It additionally imposed tariffs on countries that offered oil to the nation.  The transfer escalated Cuba’s humanitarian and financial disaster. 

In his response to Wednesday’s vote, the Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez stated that by way of the vote, the US was “once again isolated in its attempt to continue strangling the Cuban people.”

“Neither its most insane pretexts nor its pressures nor media circus will prevail over the force of facts and truth,” he stated. 

The Cuban embassy within the US celebrated the votes for the decision. 

In a submit on X, it wrote, “Victory for Cuba at the UN. Washington was isolated once again. #CubaIsNotAThreat; the blockade is.”

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz celebrated the votes of states that opposed the decision or abstained. 

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He advised reporters after the vote that he was happy to see a shift in some countries’ stance on US actions in opposition to Cuba.

He stated, “I’m glad that so many countries now, together with main economies like Korea, Germany and others, have shifted their place.

“Diplomacy takes time, but now that we’ve had a tripling of countries that have shifted, we expect that only to continue to grow.”