In Cuba, Humanitarian Crisis as Hunger Spreads
New America Media, News Digest, Louis E.V. Nevaer, Posted: Oct 10, 2008
Editor's Note: While the Cuban government is trying to keep things quiet, Spanish and Mexican media are reporting on the famine that is wreaking havoc across the island after 30 percent of its crops were destroyed in the hurricanes.
Emergency airlifts of food, clothing and medicines from Mexico, Venezuela and Russia reveal a humanitarian crisis in Cuba that is unprecedented in scope.
Five weeks after Hurricanes Gustav and Ike devastated the island nation’s food supplies – and left hundreds of thousands of Cubans homeless – damage to the infrastructure in outlying provinces has been so great that many small communities remain cut off from Havana. In Pinar del Rio, what remains of the small town of Sandino speaks of the devastation across the island. “People are on the verge of starving,” a Cuban blogger who goes by the name of Osmany reported on a blog, a form of communication that has been banned by the Cuban government.
The Cuban government assures the populace that it is capable of providing for the millions affected by these hurricanes. But the reality is that food and medicine are in short supply.
On Sept. 15, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin visited the island to assess the estimated $11 billion in damage. Those estimates have almost doubled in less than three weeks, as more thorough surveys of the damage have come in.
In the meantime, while the Cuban state-owned press maintains that an “orderly” process is underway to meet the needs of the Cuban people, international media present a very different picture. Mexican and Spanish newspapers have been publishing stories of emergency measures designed to prevent famine, and stop the panic that has set in in Havana, where food prices have almost doubled, and where people have begun to hoard food.
As the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis now unfolding in Cuba becomes evident, newspaper editorials in Mexico have begun to characterize the situation on the island as "an economic and human catastrophe." The Diario de Yucatan, the leading newspaper in the Yucatan, warns that the possibility of Cubans fleeing Cuba could overwhelm the ability of the Mexican government to rescue Cubans who attempt to cross the Yucatan Channel, and humanitarian resources in Cancun and Merida.
The Diario de Yucatan reported on an increasingly familiar scene: Cubans escaping their homeland, crossing the Yucatan Channel and washing ashore near Cancun, desperate to make it from there to the U.S. border and seek asylum.
In 2007, more than 11,000 Cubans entered the United States from Mexico. Mexican officials believe that by the end of this year, that number will have almost doubled to 19,000. Many believe that the specter of famine in Cuba will intensify the flow of Cubans across the channel.
Spain’s El Pais has covered extensively the deteriorating situation in Havana. With orders to freeze prices, which have skyrocketed in the past month, Cuban officials are calling those who hoard food traitors. But the situation remains unsustainable: Stockpiles of food are being quickly depleted, and there is no way to guarantee that those stranded and left homeless in outlying provinces will receive any of it.
Cubans are now being told to prepare for “a hard winter” – where food will be rationed and scarce.
In Merida, capital of the Mexican state of Yucatan, air shipments of food have begun, with tons being flown to the Cuban capital. Because of tensions between Venezuela and the United States, some aid from Venezuela is being directed via Mexico, which remains a vital link between Havana and the outside world. Despite these efforts, however, the Mexican media is already reporting that famine is likely in Cuba in the weeks ahead if something isn’t done.
The Cuban government, meanwhile, is taking steps to limit coverage of the famine. Raul Castro has ordered a crackdown on independent reporters, making it virtually impossible to verify conditions. A Cuban American in Miami reported that he attempted to send money to relatives in Pinar del Rio province, but was told by Western Union that their offices there had been wrecked by the hurricanes. He could send the money, but the recipient would have to pick it up in Havana, he was told. “It’d be easier to get to Cancun from Pinar del Rio than to Havana at this point,” he said.
Although the Cuban government has banned blogs in an effort to control the free flow of information -- anyone caught blogging is subject to arrest -- many Cubans still rely on the blogosphere for information. In the wake of official silence, Cubans are turning to blogs like Generation Y, Al Godar and Generación Asere to learn and share news in the aftermath of the hurricanes.
Related Articles:
Cuba Faces Food Shortages After Hurricanes
Mexico Cracks Down on Cubans
Cubans in Mexico: A Troubling Exodus
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User Comments
P. Schmidt on Oct 11, 2008 at 06:18:09 said:
I keep in regular contact with my friends in Centro & Habana Vieja and Vedado sections of the city via email. According to my friends (as of the last couple of days)the lines are longer (in the agromercados and bodegas) and inconvenience rules the day to be sure....but the article above reeks of right-wing fueled propaganda.
Silly rhetoric!
Mark Santiago on Oct 10, 2008 at 20:51:14 said:
Sombra cubana en Yucatán
Breviario
Por Jorge R. Muñoz Menéndez
Por la puerta trasera Yucatán podría ingresar a las filas de los damnificados por los ciclones “Ike” y “Gustavo”.
Cuando los gobiernos de México y Cuba estaban a punto de comenzar a reordenar su flujo migratorio, los huracanes de septiembre atrasaron la visita del canciller Felipe Ramón Pérez Roque a nuestro país y revelaron que el acuerdo formal que se requiere se limitará a un simple memorándum con efectos muy limitados.
Sí, cuando el próximo lunes 20 se intente crear una nueva imagen de las relaciones México-Cuba en el marco de la visita del canciller cubano, seguirá flotando en el ambiente un asunto pendiente que nos trae casi de cabeza aquí en la Península.
Lo ocurrido en playas de Chabihau hace apenas unos días nos debe servir de advertencia. Así, ante un nuevo escenario en la isla, que con tintes de catástrofe golpea la economía y los planes políticos que apuntaban a una tibia apertura, el tema migratorio parece ya no tener la relevancia que quería imprimirle el gobierno mexicano.
En Cuba muchos proyectos se esfumaron junto con las miles de casas, cosechas y servicios públicos que desaparecieron con los vientos y mareas ciclónicas.
Pero ¿qué tiene que ver Yucatán con todo esto, además de la obligada solidaridad con nuestros vecinos? Cada vez es más evidente que la Península es una zona clave en el tránsito ilegal de todo lo que sale y entra a Cuba, y para administrar ese apetitoso negocio hay varios grupos muy poderosos que trastornan las estructuras oficiales, económicas y sociales de nuestra región.
Aprovechando que no hay un acuerdo migratorio formal entre ambos países y que en la práctica aquí rige la misma regla que en los Estados Unidos de otorgar facilidades a los cubanos que ya tienen los pies en territorio nacional, los capos del bajo mundo ofrecen hacer la travesía entre la isla y la Península, como si fuera una ruta turística más.
Ya en suelo yucateco o quintanarroense, los cubanos reciben sin mayor problema un oficio de salida con vigencia de un mes que los obliga a abandonar la República. En libertad, sin que nadie supervise el cumplimiento de ese plazo, los isleños tienen fácil tránsito por el país y la mayoría no tarda mucho en cruzar la frontera e internarse en los Estados Unidos.
¿Para qué arriesgarse a surcar la parte más brava y vigilada del Golfo de México rumbo a Florida si con sólo llegar a la Península yucateca se obtienen muchas facilidades para alcanzar el “sueño (norte)americano”? Esa política de “pies secos” y oficios oficiales de salida que permiten recuperar la libertad durante un mes a los mal llamados “balseros” —ahora viajan en lanchas rápidas y con todas las comodidades— ya permitió que de los 8,039 cubanos indocumentados que llegaron a México entre enero de 2005 y julio de 2008 sólo 2,523 fueran deportados.
Y esas cifras sólo incluyen a los que pasaron por algún registro oficial. Miles y miles más entran, deambulan y salen de México sin que las autoridades sepan de ellos, al menos formalmente.
En todo ese manejo de personas, dinero, corrupción e impunidad los puertos de la Península son puntos clave. Y lo que es peor, involucrando a cientos de paisanos pescadores, autoridades y similares y conexos que hoy trabajan para el bajo mundo contrabandeando cubanos y quién sabe cuántas cosas más.
Aquí va otro dato oficial: el año pasado 41.5% de los cubanos que entraron a México lo hicieron por mar y pese a que no existe comunicación marítima de pasajeros. Además, los analistas consideran que por cada legal entran por lo menos siete u ocho de manera clandestina.
En ese ir y venir se manejan millones de dólares y si bien todo comenzó con el tráfico de personas, hoy especialistas en seguridad opinan que las bandas son multiusos, pues al obtener la tolerancia de las autoridades diversifican sus actividades e incluyen en su catálogo drogas, armas, metales preciosos, mercancía robada en cualquier parte del mundo, licores, menores de edad, cigarros, artículos pirata, prostitutas, equipos o refacciones de alta tecnología y ciudadanos de otras naciones que desean llegar a los Estados Unidos (chinos, serbios...) .
Buena parte de la inseguridad que se respira en Cancún y alrededores se debe al auge que tienen los traficantes que comenzaron trayendo cubanos y ahora aparecen involucrados en muchas operaciones ilícitas.
Para tratar de poner orden, el gobierno de Felipe Calderón se hizo al ciego y al sordo en varias cuestiones sociopolíticas y rompiendo el esquema foxista comenzó a coquetear con el régimen de Fidel y Raúl Castro. Cuando las negociaciones apuntaban a un acuerdo formal que cuando menos medio regulara el tráfico migratorio, “Ike” y “Gustavo” vinieron a complicar las cosas.
¿O a caso creen que ante la catástrofe económica y humana que se arrastra de decenios y ahora agravaron los huracanes el gobierno cubano está muy interesado en gastar recursos para impedir la salida de gente que se quiere y puede ir? Antes de cerrar ese caño que alivia tensiones y además permite al gobierno castrista mandar a quien quiera y lo que quiera a donde quiera sin dejar huella, en Cuba hay otras prioridades y nexos diplomáticos más productivos por estrechar para poder hacerle frente no sólo a la herencia de los ciclones sino también para fortalecer los planes que tiene el grupo que hoy busca mantenerse en el poder.
Así, para Yucatán y toda la Península se pierde o demora un paso clave para tratar de recuperar ciertos niveles de seguridad en la zona, que seguirá siendo territorio de grupos de poder que trabajan fuera de la ley, alteran la escala de valores sociales y familiares y trastornan la economía formal.
Este nuevo ingrediente en el coctel que nos mantiene en crisis tiene muchos indicios de que seguirá siendo un fuerte dolor de cabeza, sobre todo cuando además seguimos desaprovechando una vecindad geográfica y una apertura que envidiarían muchas de las potencias mundiales.
Hoy la cercanía y la simpatía histórica entre Yucatán y Cuba viven momentos oscuros.
Cascabel Todavía no se nos olvida. Tal vez porque nos lo dijeron dos veces en menos de 15 días... Dicen que en el último año en Yucatán se crearon 20,000 empleos. Sí, veinte mil leyó usted bien... ¿Dónde estarán esos afortunados?— Mérida, Yucatán.
Ana Lerner on Oct 10, 2008 at 17:14:39 said:
Louis Nevaer goes out of his way to promote his right wing views as if it were news. New America Media's credibility is hurt by its affiliation with hacks like him.
Walter Lippmann on Oct 10, 2008 at 12:25:38 said:
In food crisis, Cuba limits sales so all can eat
By ANNE-MARIE GARCIA – 27 minutes ago
HAVANA (AP) — Cuba is limiting how much basic fruits and vegetables people can buy at farmers' markets, irritating some customers but ensuring there's enough — barely — to go around.
The lines are long and some foods are scarce, but because the government has maintained and even increased rations in some areas, Cubans who initially worried about getting enough to eat now seem confident they won't go hungry despite the destruction of 30 percent of the island's crops by hurricanes Gustav and Ike last month.
"Of the little there is, there is some for everyone," 65-year-old Mercedes Grimau said as queued up behind more than 50 people to buy lettuce, limited to two pounds per person.
"I'm not afraid that I will be left without food, but it's a pain to think about all the work we are going to have to go through," Grimau added. "Two or three months ago the farmers markets were well-stocked."
Cuba's government regularly stockpiles beans and other basics, and Economics Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez said authorities are ready to increase the $2 billion they already spend on food imports annually. The world credit crisis won't affect much of those imports because U.S. law forces communist Cuba to use cash to purchase American farm goods. But imports from other countries bought with credit could become more difficult or expensive.
The government is delivering all items distributed each month on the universal ration that provides Cubans with up to two weeks of food — including eggs, beans, rice and potatoes — at very low cost. In some hard-hit provinces, extra food has been added.
But the rest of the food Cubans supplement their diets with at supply-and-demand farmers markets and government produce stands has dwindled, prompting the government to limit consumer purchases and cap prices on items including rice, beans, root crops and fresh greens.
Rodriguez has sought to dispel speculation about a replay of the desperate early 1990s, when shelves were bare and people survived for weeks on one small meal daily. Cubans who lived through deprivation after the Soviet Union's collapse say the current food situation doesn't come close.
"It is true that it will take us some time to bring the agricultural production up to the levels that existed before the hurricanes," Rodriguez told state television this week. "Nevertheless, there is no reason to speculate or assume that there will be any hunger."
Although Cuba's relative financial isolation partially protects it from the jolts of the world economy, an extended credit crisis could stunt the island's foreign currency income if Cubans living abroad lose jobs and stop sending family remittances, or if potential tourists can no longer afford to travel.
But now, Cuba's top challenge is to increase local production of fruits and vegetables sold at the farmers' markets.
Waiting at one market on a recent morning, 55-year-old homemaker Regla Suazo said, "At least with the measures I know I can buy something." Shortly thereafter, the first truck of the day pulled up with green beans, green onions, guavas, avocados, corn, squash, cassava root and sweet potatoes.
But quantities were much smaller than usual. Vendor Nadia Gomez, who received nothing that day, said police checkpoints leading into Havana now turn away trucks unauthorized to market produce in the capital or have been ordered send their goods to harder-hit areas.
Cuban agricultural officials expect six months of food shortages, and are increasing short-cycle crops such as salad greens and taking other measures to ensure everyone gets enough to eat.
At Cuatro Caminos farmers market, among Havana's largest and most varied, vendor Juan Carlos Martinez lamented he had only papayas, guavas and pineapples to sell. "This isn't the business it used to be," he said.
Walter Lippmann on Oct 10, 2008 at 08:45:44 said:
Washington refuses to allow Cuban-Americans to visit the island more than once every THREE YEARS, even in an emergency situation like the present one, or to send more money to help their family and friends in light of the hurricanes and their devastation.
-->Washington, not Havana, is responsible for US policy which prevents more aid from reaching Cuba. There is no \"official silence\" in Cuba.
Quite the opposite.
This is the same kind of gross exaggeration and even fabrication which the Miami Herald has been peddling for half a century. Cuba has plenty of problems, and now even more due to the recent hurricanes. The island's government is, according to all reports which are coming out of there, including by the unsympathetic AP, Reuters and other foreign sources, doing everything that it possibly can to confront the crisis head-on, and try to fix it.
This commentary, more likely written in Miami than from Cuba, claims blogs are \"ILLEGAL\" in Cuba, but the independent INTER PRESS agency says quite the opposite.
Just Google the phrase for details:
IPS: CUBA: Emerging Community of Bloggers?