PNP urges Jamaica and CARICOM diplomacy as Cuba fuel restrictions deepen crisis

The People’s National Party is pressing the Jamaican Government, along with its partners in the Caribbean Community, to settle on a united regional response to the crisis now affecting Cuba.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the Opposition said tougher measures by the United States against Havana could have consequences beyond Cuba, including risks for Jamaica’s economy, tourism industry and recovery work following Hurricane Melissa.

The party wants Jamaica to coordinate with other CARICOM governments in advancing “dialogue, restraint and respect for international law”. It also said Kingston should take “a proactive and positive intermediating role” in efforts involving Washington and Havana.

“The PNP believes that the Caribbean Community and the wider Caribbean have a strong interest in regional stability and peace, respect for territorial integrity, and the self-determination of all nations,” the party said.

The PNP cited a January 2026 executive order from the United States that limited fuel supplies to Cuba. According to the party, that action has created serious hardship on the island by affecting transport, production and medical services.

Referring to a United Nations report dated April 6, 2026, the Opposition said Cuba’s public health system had worsened considerably. It said 96,000 operations had been delayed, among them 11,000 surgeries for children, while vaccination setbacks had affected about 3,000 children.

The party also raised alarm about further US measures announced on May 1, which it said targeted Cuban state bodies as well as international interests linked to the energy, finance and defence sectors.

“These actions have been taken notwithstanding that Cuba has stated that it poses no threat to the national security of the United States and remains open to dialogue based on sovereignty, non-interference, and mutual respect,” the PNP statement said.

The Opposition said a worsening stand-off could spill over into Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. It pointed in particular to the danger of “unsustainable migration pressures” and possible damage to efforts to rebuild economic strength after Hurricane Melissa.

The PNP’s appeal follows concern recently expressed by CARICOM’s Council for Foreign and Community Relations about the intensifying fuel and economic restrictions affecting Cuba.

COFCOR said the hardship being experienced by Cubans also has serious implications for CARICOM citizens who live and study in Cuba, adding that their welfare remains a priority for the regional body.

“These measures compound the trade and economic embargo imposed on Cuba for over six decades, which has had a deleterious effect on the lives and livelihoods of the Cuban people. COFCOR unequivocally affirms Cuba’s sovereign right to import and receive fuel and condemns the obstruction of energy supplies to Cuba, which has precipitated a grave humanitarian crisis,” the council said in a statement that was not supported by Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.

Political observers have characterised CARICOM’s statement as a move to keep global attention on the worsening humanitarian situation in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean country.

At the February CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in St Kitts and Nevis, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness indicated a move toward what he called “principled realism” in relation to Cuba. Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, meanwhile, was more explicit in saying she would not support communist systems.

Holness said the region should pursue “principled realism”, balancing its long-standing solidarity with Cuba against calls for democratic change and movement toward open-market reforms.

He also cautioned that Cuba’s humanitarian difficulties could become a regional concern, including through a possible immigration challenge.