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A ship carrying over five thousand tons of food, medicine, household items, and toys has departed from the port of La Guaira, Venezuela, heading to eastern Cuba to aid those affected by Hurricane Melissa, according to reports from Cuban official media and the island's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Venezuelan Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Latin America, Rander Peña, announced that the shipment, consisting of 102 containers, was sent "by President Nicolás Maduro, through the ALBA Bank," and that on board the ship Manuel Gual there is also "a team of electrical workers to help repair the damage caused by the meteorological phenomenon."
Peña described the shipment as a "direct expression of solidarity and concrete support, on behalf of the Venezuelan people," and asserted that "these are the ships leaving Venezuela and sailing the Caribbean Sea, ships filled with solutions, hope, and life, traversing the same sea that imperialism tries to use to threaten peace."
Accompanied by the Cuban ambassador in Caracas, Jorge Luis Mayo, the Venezuelan official added: "May all our love go to the brotherly people of Cuba, with whom we have built an infinite and mutual loyalty."
For his part, the Cuban diplomat expressed the "eternal gratitude of the Cuban people for that Bolivarian generosity," and emphasized that the cooperation between both countries "is the continuation of the fraternal embrace between Fidel and Chávez."
The Cuban Foreign Ministry expressed its gratitude to the government of Caracas. In a message on social media platform X, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla thanked “the Government and the people of Venezuela who, under the leadership of President Nicolás Maduro, sent a new donation of humanitarian aid to Cuba for the territories affected by Hurricane Melissa.”
The shipment is part of a series of coordinated actions by the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA-TCP), which includes the relocation of a multidisciplinary team of 22 Venezuelan technicians specialized in electrical energy, transportation, and public works, sent on November 10 to participate in recovery efforts, according to a report from teleSUR.
During that announcement, Peña reiterated that “when Venezuela needs, Cuba is there; when Cuba needs, Venezuela will be there,” and described the deployment of technicians as “a demonstration of the love and support of its Government to Havana.”
The Cuban ambassador in Caracas added that this is "the third act of reinforcement of the solidarity received from the Venezuelan people," and noted that Hurricane Melissa left "more than 72,000 homes affected, four thousand destroyed, over 108 kilometers of damaged roads, flooding, and broken bridges."
After the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in eastern Cuba on October 29, Venezuela sent 26 tons of humanitarian aid by air, including food, medical supplies, and construction materials. On the same day, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez quoted a phrase from José Martí —“To do is the best way to say”— apparently in response to the United States' offer to send assistance “directly to the Cuban people, without intermediaries from the regime.”
Although the Cuban government has expressed its gratitude for the donations, doubts persist among citizens regarding the distribution of resources, with calls on social media demanding transparency and that "aid reaches the people, not the government."
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