As foreign donations and goods from countries such as Japan and Canada continue to arrive in Castrogonia in the wake of three major natural disasters, the military junta continues to turn a profit by requiring that Cubans pay through their noses for whatever is distributed to them. Nothing new here. Castro, Inc. has been engaged in this inhumane game for decades, yet none of the foreign donors seem to care.
Even worse, the sale of mattresses and construction materials might only be the frost on the tip of the corruption iceberg. Rumors abound about high-ranking military officials seizing the donations and pocketing them. Vamos bien!
Loosely translated from Cubanos Por El Mundo
One month after Hurricane Oscar swept through the province of Guantánamo, residents of Imías and San Antonio continue struggling to recover amid allegations of being charged for the “aid” distributed by the regime.
The Category 1 hurricane struck on October 20, leaving eight dead, two missing, and over 11,000 homes damaged, according to figures from the Cuban dictatorship, which are often unreliable.
The United Nations reported that nearly 150,000 people were severely affected, and more than 15,000 hectares of crops were destroyed, exacerbating the risk of a food crisis.
Although various countries and international organizations have sent donations, including food, medicine, and construction materials, the affected residents claim that the little they have received from the communist regime has come at a cost.
“They’re asking us to pay half the cost for materials and mattresses, but these are donations. We’ve lost everything and can’t afford those expenses,” said an activist.
Meanwhile, residents described extreme conditions. Some are sleeping outdoors or in the homes of neighbors with less damage.
A woman from Imías shared the emotional toll of seeing her home destroyed: “I felt like I couldn’t take it when I saw my little house, everything torn apart. What we’ve gone through isn’t easy,” she told the independent outlet Cubanet.
Allegations of corruption have also surfaced, with a former official claiming that the State Reserve had seized international donations before distribution, benefiting high-ranking officials.
Similar cases occurred after Hurricane Matthew in 2016, when donated mattresses ended up in military hotels.
Despite the urgency, many residents feel abandoned. “They leave us on our own, and what little they give us, they charge us for. It’s inhumane,” one resident concluded.
Meanwhile, the region faces an uncertain recovery process under the neglect of the dictatorship.
“The people” are there for the benefit of the “revolution,” NOT the other way around.