For the seventeenth consecutive year, the African Union (AU) has delivered a powerful diplomatic rebuke to the United States by formally condemning its protracted economic, commercial, and financial embargo against Cuba. The recently approved resolution, detailed in an official release from the Cuban Embassy in Ethiopia, characterizes the six-decade-long policy as a severe impediment to Cuban development and a profound burden on its citizenry.
A central and recurring demand within the resolution is the urgent call for Washington to remove Cuba from its State Sponsors of Terrorism list. The AU describes this designation as both arbitrary and unjustified, framing it as a political instrument that provides a foundation for maintaining the stringent embargo. The document further emphasizes the moral and legal obligation to revoke this classification.
The resolution articulates deep concern regarding the intensifying negative impacts of the U.S. sanctions, which have been exacerbated by global economic pressures following the COVID-19 pandemic. A significant point of condemnation is the extraterritorial application of U.S. law, specifically through Title III of the Helms-Burton Act. This provision, which allows U.S. nationals to sue entities engaging in business with Cuban assets nationalized after the 1959 revolution, effectively internationalizes the blockade and cripples Cuba’s capacity to participate in global trade and finance.
Beyond the critique, the resolution serves to reaffirm the deep-seated historical and political bonds between African nations and Cuba, rooted in decades of solidarity and mutual support. It stands as a clear manifestation of Africa’s collective stance against a policy it deems to be in violation of international law and the fundamental principles of national sovereignty.