Mexico-backed flotilla departs for Cuba with aid as UN warns of humanitarian collapse

Record ID: 2367313

  • Title: Mexico-backed flotilla departs for Cuba with aid as UN warns of humanitarian collapse
  • Date: 20th March 2026
  • Summary: PROGRESO, YUCATAN, MEXICO (MARCH 20, 2026) (REUTERS) ‘MAGURO’ SHIP DEPARTING FOR CUBA WITH HUMANITARIAN AID WITH ACTIVISTS ON BOARD CHANTING (Spanish): “Cuba yes! Blockade no!” MAGURO SHIP SAILING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BRAZILIAN ACTIVIST, THIAGO AVILA, SAYING: "In 58 hours from the moment we depart, if weather conditions allow, we will be in Havana. The Mexican Navy was mo
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Activists Aid Cuba Humanitarian crisis Mexico USA
  • Location: PROGRESO, YUCATAN, MEXICO
  • City: PROGRESO, YUCATAN, MEXICO
  • Country: Mexico
  • Topics: Fundamental Rights/Civil Liberties,South America / Central America,North America,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001613920032026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A vessel carrying humanitarian aid set sail from the Mexican port of Progreso, Yucatan, on Friday (March 20), bound for Cuba, as part of a growing international effort to support the island amid a severe energy and economic crisis.
    Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, one of the organizers aboard the Maguro, said the crossing to Havana was expected to take approximately 58 hours, depending on weather conditions. According to Avila, the Mexican Navy deployed a 170-metre warship called the Papaloapan to escort the mission, which he described as "a tremendous gesture of solidarity."
    The Maguro's departure is part of the ‘Nuestra America’ (Our America) Convoy, an international humanitarian movement organized to deliver aid to Cuba, with missions converging on Havana around March 21. The flotilla consists of three ships, 30 tons of humanitarian aid and 40 people. Aid is also expected to arrive by plane, including solar panels, medical supplies and non-perishable food collected by activists in Mexico.
    Cuba is facing an oil shortage and economic crisis caused by the U.S. fuel blockade. The United States began blocking oil tankers heading to Cuba in early 2026, targeting companies such as Mexican state-owned Pemex and threatening countries with tariffs should they resist. The United Nations has warned that Cuba faces total humanitarian collapse as a result of the severe fuel shortage.
    (Production: Loranzo Hernandez, Alicia Fernandez, Hugo Monnet)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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