US blockade of Cuba serves only ambitions of empire

Sir, – As the US blockade of Cuba intensifies, ordinary Cubans are facing severe shortages of food, medicine and essential supplies. The suffering is growing by the day, and yet it remains largely invisible to the wider world.

Mexico has recently taken a bold step, sending naval vessels carrying over 800 tons (725.7 tonnes) of humanitarian aid to Cuba, with more planned. This demonstrates that even under external pressure, it is possible to act with humanity and compassion.

Ireland, and the international community more broadly, must turn our eyes to Cuba and take concrete steps to alleviate this crisis. The Cuban people are not pawns in a political game. They are human beings whose lives are being made unbearable by a foreign-imposed embargo.

The blockade serves no one but the ambitions of empire. Lifting sanctions, supporting humanitarian aid, and amplifying awareness are urgent moral imperatives. Let us not look away. Let us demand that Cuba’s people can live with dignity. – Yours etc.