A coalition of US faith-based organizations has called on Washington to lift sanctions on Cuba and reject a renewed drift toward coercive regime-change policies, warning that escalating pressure risks worsening an already acute humanitarian crisis on the island.

In a public appeal issued this week, the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), the FCNL Education Fund, and Friends Place on Capitol Hill, Quaker-affiliated, nonpartisan advocacy groups, urged US policymakers to “reduce hardship for ordinary people and expand humanitarian space” in relations with Havana.

The statement comes amid heightened economic strain in Cuba, where rolling blackouts, fuel shortages, and limited access to medicines have compounded long-running structural weaknesses in the country’s state-run economy. The groups pointed in particular to the reported cutoff of Venezuelan oil shipments and renewed threats of coercive US measures, warning that such developments could trigger “dangerous escalation”.

While acknowledging that Cuba faces “serious internal challenges," including governance failures and economic mismanagement, the organizations argued that decades of US sanctions have significantly constrained access to resources and exacerbated daily hardship for ordinary Cubans.

“The true measure of any policy should be whether it reduces human suffering,” the groups said, opposing strategies that rely on pressure, destabilisation, or collective punishment to force political change.

A long-running policy fault line

The US embargo on Cuba, first imposed in the early 1960s after the Cuban Revolution, remains one of the longest-standing sanctions regimes in modern history. Although limited openings occurred during the Obama administration, subsequent years saw renewed restrictions, many of which remain in place.

Successive US administrations have defended sanctions as a tool to "promote democracy and human rights," arguing that pressure is necessary to push Havana toward political reform. Critics, however, contend that the measures have failed to produce meaningful change while contributing to shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies.

The Quaker groups echoed that critique, saying decades of isolation “have not produced meaningful or lasting change” and have instead exacted a “heavy human toll."

Their intervention reflects a broader debate within US policy circles, where some lawmakers advocate tightening sanctions in response to Cuba’s human rights record, while others call for engagement and expanded humanitarian exceptions.

Mounting economic pressures

Cuba’s economy has been under intense strain in recent years, battered by the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on tourism, inflation, declining foreign currency reserves, and reduced energy imports. Fuel shortages have led to prolonged blackouts, disrupted transport networks, and strained water systems in several provinces.

The faith-based coalition said barriers to healthcare were of particular concern, pointing to reports of medicine shortages that have left hospitals and clinics struggling to treat otherwise manageable conditions.

“When essential medications are unavailable, and clinics face shortages, treatable illnesses become life-threatening,” the statement said, urging US authorities to remove obstacles that impede access to food, medicine, and other basic necessities.

Cuba has also experienced a surge in outward migration, with hundreds of thousands leaving the island in recent years in search of economic opportunity and stability abroad, a trend analysts link to both domestic economic distress and the cumulative impact of sanctions.

Faith diplomacy and people-to-people ties

The organizations emphasised their longstanding relationships with Cuban faith communities, describing more than a century of “prayer, partnership, and accompaniment." They framed their appeal as rooted in humanitarian concern rather than partisan politics.

In addition to calling for the lifting of the embargo, the groups urged Washington to support sustained diplomatic engagement and to enable faith-based and humanitarian partners to operate “without fear, obstruction, or unnecessary delay."

They also affirmed the importance of peaceful expression within Cuba, noting that the ability to gather and speak freely is integral to human dignity.

Economic hardship as lever of policy

The Quaker organizations rejected rhetoric that frames economic hardship as a legitimate lever of policy. They urged communities of faith across the US to press members of Congress to back engagement strategies that prioritize humanitarian access over punitive measures.

Whether such appeals will translate into legislative change remains uncertain. But as Cuba confronts mounting economic and social pressures, the debate over how, and whether US policy should shift, appears set to intensify once again, with faith groups adding their voices to a long-running and contentious foreign policy conversation.

Oil restrictions push Cuba toward standstill

Daily life in Cuba is slowing to a near halt amid a US effort to choke off the island’s oil supplies, prompting international concern that the Trump administration’s strategy risks triggering a prolonged humanitarian emergency.

Authorities in the nation are rationing scarce fuel, cutting public transportation services, and furloughing state workers. Schools are dismissing children early, basic foods such as milk and chicken are increasingly unaffordable, and long lines have formed at gas stations.

The crisis has dealt a heavy blow to Cuba’s vital tourism sector. Several well-known hotels, struggling with persistent blackouts, have begun closing and relocating guests, according to Russia’s tour operator agency.

With more than 4,000 Russian tourists on the island, the state-backed airline Aeroflot said it was limiting flights and dispatching an empty aircraft to evacuate travelers.

Air Canada, which reported having 3,000 customers in Cuba, announced it would suspend service because of the fuel shortage. Other carriers said they would temporarily refuel in nearby countries.

“Tough times are coming. We will overcome this together with creative resistance.”

Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the organization is “extremely concerned about the humanitarian situation in Cuba,” warning that shortages could cause essential services to collapse if oil supplies are not restored.

Democratic critics in Congress have accused the administration of waging “economic warfare".

“The most vulnerable will suffer the most. This policy is unconscionable,” said Rep. Nydia Velázquez of New York.

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