By Kaundjire Humbu
Cuban ambassador to Namibia Sergio Vigoa de la Uz, has accused the United States of waging what he describes as a “silent genocide” against the Cuban people, blaming more than six decades of economic sanctions and a recent intensification of restrictions for a deepening impact on the population of the island.
Speaking to Confidente, Vigoa de la Uz said Cuba was facing its worst situation in decades, with shortages of fuel, medicine, food and electricity increasingly affecting ordinary families, hospitals and businesses.
“There are no bombs, there are no troops parachuting into the island. You don’t have bullets, you don’t have weapons. But what the United States is doing right now in Cuba is a silent genocide,” Vigoa de la Uz said.
He said the consequences were particularly devastating for vulnerable groups, including children and elderly people who depend heavily on functioning healthcare and reliable supplies of food and medicine.
According to the ambassador, Cuba’s current situation cannot be separated from the US economic, financial and commercial
blockade, which he said has been in place for more than 60 years.
He argued that the restrictions were de- signed from US government since the very beginning of the Revolution to put pressure on the Cuban economy and ultimately turn the population against its government.
Today, that is still the main objective of the United States.
Vigoa de la Uz said the situation had become even more severe following new measures introduced presidential orders of Donald Trump, particularly restrictions affecting companies and vessels supplying fuel to Cuba.
He claimed Cuba needs roughly eight vessels carrying about 700,000 barrels of fuel a month but had received only one vessel during the previous eight months.
The shortage, he said, has consequences far beyond transport.
“If you do not have fuel, nowadays in any economy, if you don’t have fuel, you cannot transport persons, you cannot transport food, you cannot distribute drinkable water,” he said.
The ambassador painted an equally grim picture of Cuba’s healthcare system, saying shortages of electricity and medical supplies were putting lives at risk.
He claimed child mortality, which he said had previously been below five deaths per 1,000 live births, had doubled.
He also said more than 100,000 surgeries were pending, including about 12,000 involving children, because of problems linked to electricity and other shortages.
He said hospitals were struggling to keep incubators and oxygen systems operating during power shortages, while pregnant women were also being affected by shortages of medicines and nutritional supplements.
The impact extends into Cuban homes, where the ambassador said electricity can sometimes be available for only one or two hours a day.
He said the shortages make it difficult for families to cook, preserve food and maintain basic living conditions, particularly on a densely populated island where many people live in apartments and cannot simply resort to firewood or charcoal.
Cuba’s economic lifeline, tourism, has also suffered, according to Vigoa de la Uz.
He said the country received almost five million tourists in 2018, compared with roughly 400,000 currently, blaming sanctions and restrictions affecting airlines, cruise operators and financial institutions.
He further argued that sanctions have made it difficult for Cuba to access raw materials needed for its biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, forcing the country to source supplies from more distant markets at substantially higher costs.
The ambassador also highlighted the im- pact on Cuba’s international medical cooperation.
He said more than 20,000 Cuban doctors are working in more than 50 countries, but sanctions affecting Cuban institutions can make it difficult for money earned through such programmes to reach Cuba or even the doctors’ families.
Vigoa de la Uz believes the intensified pressure is partly driven by US domestic politics, particularly the importance of Cuban American voters in Florida.
He argued that some politicians believe maintaining a hard line against Havana can win political support among Cuban voters.
Despite the pressure, he said Cuba would continue trying to develop its economy and reduce its dependence on imported fuel by expanding renewable energy.
The ambassador also pointed to Cuba’s support at the United Nations, saying Havana has for decades called for the lifting of the US blockade and has received overwhelming international backing for its resolutions.
He described Cuba as a symbol of resilience, sovereignty and self-determination, arguing that the dispute ultimately raises a broader question about whether smaller nations are genuinely free to choose their own economic partners.
“For Cuba, it is not easy,” he said, but maintained that the island would continue pursuing its own path despite the pressure.
Vigoa de la Uz added that the crisis is therefore not simply an economic dispute between two governments, all the sanctions have extraterritorial reach.
He argues that the real cost is being paid by ordinary Cubans – in hospitals without reliable power, families struggling to secure food and communities facing shortages of basic necessities.
It is this human cost, he insists, that makes the situation a “silent genocide”.
