The Pan African Women's Organisation (PAWO) has strongly condemned the United States government's latest sanctions against Cuba, describing it as a deliberate attempt to destabilise Cuba.
Its president, Eunice Ipinge, in a media statement on Monday, said the organisation aligns itself with all peace-loving nations and institutions in denouncing what it called escalating hostility from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
PAWO described the latest measures, including threats to impose tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba.
Ipinge labelled such threats as unwarranted brinkmanship and bullying aimed at subjugating Cuba—a country that is already facing the effects of a decades-old U.S. economic blockade.
The proposed tariffs, she said, constitute a direct violation of Cuba's sovereignty and contravene international law, the United Nations Charter, and the African Union Charter.
POWA called on the international community, particularly women, to stand in solidarity with the Cuban people and demand an immediate end to threats and hostilities.
Ipinge stated that the long-standing economic blockade has led to severe shortages of food, medicine, and fuel, disproportionately affecting women and children.
She added that these shortages, including in critical and specialised infant care, have increased the burden on women, with some families forced to seek medical treatment abroad at significant financial strain, while others lose children to treatable and preventable illnesses.
Meanwhile, Cuba's ambassador to Namibia, Sergio Vigoa de la Uz, in an interview with Nampa, welcomed the approval of a joint resolution on 16 February 2026 by the Assembly of the African Union, which rejects the economic, commercial, and financial blockade against Cuba.
Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel expressed gratitude on social media, extending gratitude to the African Heads of State and Governments for adopting their resolution condemning the US blockade and the inclusion of Cuba on the spurious list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.