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The United States government announced this Sunday the allocation of 3 million dollars in humanitarian assistance for Cubans affected by the hurricane Melissa, which devastated several provinces in the eastern part of the island.
According to the Western Hemisphere Affairs Office of the State Department (WHA), the aid will be distributed in coordination with the Catholic Church, with the aim of ensuring it reaches the most affected communities directly, without intermediaries from the Cuban government.
"United States is coordinating with the Catholic Church the distribution of three million dollars in humanitarian assistance directly to those in eastern Cuba who were most affected by the devastation of Hurricane Melissa. Our prayers are with the brave Cuban people," stated the WHA on its official account on X.
The measure reinforces the commitment of Washington to provide direct support to the Cuban people in times of crisis, and comes just days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the willingness to provide aid “without the regime's intermediaries”.
The hurricane Melissa, which struck Cuban territory on October 29, left a toll of tens of thousands of affected individuals, severe damage to homes, crops, and electrical networks in the provinces of Guantánamo, Granma, Holguín, and Santiago de Cuba, where communities remain cut off.
The decision to channel aid through the Catholic Church aims to ensure that resources reach the most vulnerable areas effectively and transparently, in a context where official distribution mechanisms are often controlled by the State.
The humanitarian gesture from Washington marks a new chapter in the tense bilateral relations, which have historically affected cooperation in emergency situations.
So far, the Cuban government has not issued an official reaction to the announcement.
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