The organizers of the Sumud Flotilla to Gaza are preparing to ‘break the siege’ on Cuba.

An international coalition of NGOs, humanitarian groups, and trade unions will send a flotilla to Cuba next month to bring humanitarian aid to the country, which is in the midst of a severe economic crisis, exacerbated by the fall of dictator Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and the end of oil shipments from Mexico, following Donald Trump's threats to impose tariffs on countries that supply crude oil to the island's regime. The website of the initiative, called Nuestra América, states that the flotilla "is more than a mission. It is a movement. Our call is open to all organizations to build this movement together. We urgently need your support to deliver essential supplies to the Cuban people. The organizers are asking for donations and say that the flotilla “will set sail from the Caribbean Sea in solidarity with the Cuban people,” without specifying the country of origin. “Together we can break the blockade, save lives, and defend the cause of Cuban self-determination,” they emphasize, although they do not specify whether they will deliver the supplies directly to the Cuban people or instead appeal to the authorities. “We are preparing to sail to Cuba for the same reason we traveled on the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza: to break the blockade, bring food and medicine, and show that solidarity can cross any border or sea,” David Adler of the Progressive International collective told the Spanish media outlet El Diario. Thiago Ávila, coordinator of the flotilla to Gaza, said that "this flotilla to Cuba will carry more than just aid. By breaking the US blockade on the island, the mission sends the message that the Cuban people are not alone. Jeremy Corbyn, a British MP, said that the US embargo against Havana “has attempted, for more than six decades, to stifle the Cuban example, a country that, despite relentless economic pressure, built a universal health care system and a life expectancy comparable to or even higher than that of the United States.” The media outlet notes that among the organizers are U.S. Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, and Colombian Congresswoman María Fernanda Carrascal. Colau said she hopes “this flotilla can be a spark for a global movement strong enough to push our governments to end the blockade.” The Sumud Flotilla to Gaza, which departed from Barcelona, Spain, in September 2025 with 44 boats, was intercepted in October by the Israeli Navy in international waters. Activists such as Sweden's Greta Thunberg and Colau were then detained. A new attempt is planned for March 29, 2026, in what they call “the largest coordinated civilian intervention,” which plans to include nearly 100 boats and more than 3,000 participants from 100 countries to reach the Palestinian enclave. Havana has not yet made public its position on the initiative. В прошлые годы он угрожал наказать эмигрантов, которые организовали флотилии из Флориды, чтобы выразить протест против режима и проявить солидарность с кубинцами на острове.