Nigeria and Other Countries Call for End to US Blockade on Cuba

Nigeria and many other UN members have voted to end the US embargo on Cuba, which is harming the country.

The resolution was passed on Wednesday with 130 countries voting in support. Most African countries backed the resolution. Morocco was the only African nation that supported the blockade. PREMIUM TIMES has reported about the strong historical ties between Cuba and African countries.

Seventeen countries opposed the resolution, including the US and Israel. Twenty-five countries, like Germany and Italy, chose to abstain, even though they had voted in favor before.

This resolution has been presented and approved every year since 1992. Last year, more than 160 countries supported it. Although it is not legally binding, the resolution shows global opinion against the illegal US blockade of Cuba.

The resolution calls for ending the economic, trade, and financial embargo against Cuba.

Earlier this year, the Donald Trump administration added more sanctions that stopped oil shipments to Cuba. They also placed tariffs on countries that sold oil to Cuba. This worsened Cuba’s humanitarian and economic problems.

In response to Wednesday’s vote, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said 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 added.

The Cuban embassy in the US celebrated the votes in favor of the resolution.

In a post 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 praised the countries that opposed the resolution or abstained.

He told reporters after the vote that he was happy to see some countries changing their views on US actions against Cuba.

He said, “I’m satisfied that so many countries now, including major economies like Korea, Germany and others, have shifted their position.

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