Overview
- On-the-ground reports describe a fast-deepening emergency in Cuba with halted ground and air transport, no tourists, postponed non-urgent surgeries, intermittent phone service, and accounts of hunger and violence.
- President Donald Trump’s administration has re-listed Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism and is fully enforcing the Helms-Burton Act, tightening financial and legal constraints on the island.
- El Periódico reports that Washington ordered a halt to Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba, a claim presented with limited independent corroboration.
- Spain told El Periódico its position "has not changed" in opposing the U.S. embargo, a stance that aligns with the EU’s view, as Spanish airlines and hotel groups retain major exposure and roughly 170,000 Spanish citizens live in Cuba.
- Human-rights monitors report sustained repression, with Prisoners Defenders counting 1,207 political prisoners as of Jan. 30, and Cubadata polling indicating widespread pessimism and reliance on private networks to weather the crisis.