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The Government of Dominican Republic sent an airplane this Thursday with four tons of humanitarian aid intended for the victims of Hurricane Melissa in eastern Cuba, according to the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) on its official X (formerly Twitter) account.
The shipment is part of the "Caribbean Solidarity" operation, coordinated by the Dominican Ministry of Defense, which also includes assistance to Haiti and Jamaica, heavily impacted by the cyclone. Lieutenant General Carlos Antonio Fernández, Minister of Defense, stated that the initiative “represents the spirit of solidarity and the readiness of the Armed Forces to come to the aid of our brother nations in the region in times of emergency,” as confirmed by the Cubaminrex portal.
The aid includes food, drinking water, and essential items, and is part of a regional cooperation effort in response to the devastation caused by the storm.
Shortly before, the Dominican Baseball Federation (FEDOM) had launched a solidarity campaign to collect clothing and sports footwear for the Cuban players affected by Hurricane Melissa, especially in the eastern provinces where several matches of the National Series were suspended.
From Havana, the Cuban regime publicly thanked Spain, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, although it did not provide details about the internal distribution of resources or updated damage figures, according to a note from the EFE agency published by Swissinfo.
This Thursday, a ship of the Colombian Navy, the ARC Victoria, arrived at the Guillermón Moncada port in Santiago de Cuba with 240 tons of humanitarian aid, including food, water, fuel, and hygiene kits. For its part, the government of Spain sent a flight with over 2,000 family cooking modules, 1,600 tool sets, and 253 pairs of work boots, valued at approximately 145,000 euros, coordinated by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
The hurricane Melissa, which made landfall in Cuba on October 29th as a Category Three on the Saffir-Simpson scale, left a trail of destruction in Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Granma, Guantánamo, and Las Tunas, with thousands of homes damaged, extended power outages, and severe impacts on agriculture and communications.
While gestures of international solidarity are multiplying, criticism is growing on the island regarding the opacity and slowness of the regime in delivering aid. Independent organizations and religious communities have demanded greater transparency in the management of donations, out of fear that international assistance does not reach the most affected families.
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