Cubans call for lifting of embargo, express hope for better lives

Cuban citizens expressed hope that the United States will respond to the calls of the international community as soon as possible and voiced their wishes for better lives, after the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution for the 34th consecutive time urging the US to end its embargo against Cuba.

The UNGA on Wednesday once again delivered a sweeping rebuke to the decades-long embargo, with 130 member states voting for a resolution demanding an end to the economic, commercial and financial blockade, underscoring Washington's continued isolation over a policy widely criticized for violating international law and inflicting hardship on the Cuban people.

The pressure is coming to a head. On Havana's busiest commercial street, many shops have already closed. Local residents are grappling with a range of urgent daily challenges, water shortages, power outages, medicine shortages and soaring prices.

"From yesterday until now, there has been no electricity. You should go ask those who are facing difficulties and see whether their basic needs can be met," said a Havana resident, Eddy Batista.

Another resident said her son had a stroke and needs care. Obtaining money to buy medicine is a problem she has to face the moment she opens her eyes every day.

"We need change. We urgently need change, so that we no longer go through so much sorrow, no longer endure the hardship I am experiencing," said the mother, Gladys Gamboa Ribalta.

Speaking about Cuba-US relations, some residents expressed hope that the embargo be put to an end so that Cubans can live an easier life.

"There has to be a day when the embargo ends. We cannot live like this for the rest of our lives," said Noemí Paez Castillo, a local resident.

The US embargo against Cuba was first introduced in 1960, a year after the Cuban revolution. In 1962, a full economic, commercial and financial embargo was imposed. The March 1996 Helms-Burton Act, enacted by the United States, extends the territorial application of the embargo to apply to foreign companies trading with Cuba. The US administration led by President Donald Trump has further heightened pressure on Cuba.

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