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Former Caribbean Leaders Call for Global Support to End US Embargo Against Cuba
From our correspondent
Roseau, Dominica – October 26 2026 — A group of former Caribbean heads of government and a former Guyanese president have called on countries worldwide to support a United Nations General Assembly resolution demanding an end to the United States’ longstanding economic embargo against Cuba. In an open letter dated October 24 and addressed to the international community, the signatories urged governments to vote in favour of the resolution when it was scheduled for consideration on October 28. Among those endorsing the appeal were former prime ministers Freundel Stuart of Barbados, Said Musa and Dean Barrow of Belize, Keith Mitchell and Tillman Thomas of Grenada, Bruce Golding and P.J. Patterson of Jamaica, Kenny Anthony of Saint Lucia, Ralph Gonsalves of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago, alongside former Guyanese president Donald Ramotar.
The former leaders argued that the embargo violated international law and undermined fundamental principles of justice and peaceful relations among nations. They criticised Washington for continuing the policy despite repeated UN General Assembly resolutions calling for its termination, contending that Cuba posed no threat to other countries or their citizens. The signatories also warned that recent US measures had intensified the hardship facing ordinary Cubans. They cited an executive order issued on January 29 that threatened tariffs against countries supplying oil to Cuba, including indirectly, as well as subsequent sanctions affecting foreign businesses and financial institutions. According to the letter, restrictions on fuel supplies had worsened the island’s difficulties, while reports of prolonged electricity outages raised concerns about access to food, medicines and essential healthcare services.
The appeal echoed concerns previously expressed by Cuban citizens and regional advocates about the humanitarian consequences of the restrictions. In February, an open letter from an unnamed Cuban woman circulated widely on social media, describing the difficulties faced by elderly people unable to obtain essential medication and newborns reportedly endangered by fuel shortages affecting hospital incubators. Barbados’ ambassador to CARICOM, David Comissiong, publicly supported the woman’s message and condemned what he described as an intensification of the decades-old blockade. The former Caribbean leaders similarly maintained that the economic pressure was unjustifiable and urged governments to resist any attempts to influence their votes through diplomatic pressure or other forms of intimidation. Their concern followed a decline in support for the resolution, which secured 187 votes in favour in 2024 but received 165 in October 2025, with seven countries voting against and 12 abstaining.
Although a General Assembly resolution cannot independently terminate the embargo, which would require action by the United States Congress, the former leaders said the vote remained an important expression of international opinion. They highlighted the continued support shown by all 14 CARICOM member states during the previous year’s vote and called on governments to maintain that position. The signatories concluded by urging the international community to stand alongside the Cuban people and support an end to the restrictions. Their appeal placed renewed focus on the humanitarian impact of the embargo and on whether countries would continue to back the UN’s longstanding calls for its removal.
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