Former Mexican president urges public contributions to support Cuba amid worsening energy shortages linked to U.S. sanctions.

Former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador voiced support for Cuba and called on Mexican citizens to contribute to a fundraising campaign aimed at assisting the island during a period of deepening energy shortages.

RELATED: Mexican Navy Ships Arrive in Havana With Humanitarian Aid

In a message posted on social media platform X, López Obrador addressed the situation despite his current withdrawal from public life and online activity. “I am retired, but it hurts me that they seek to exterminate, for their ideals of freedom and defense of sovereignty, the brotherly people of Cuba,” he wrote.

The former president urged people in Mexico to make voluntary deposits to bank account 1358451779 at Banorte, belonging to the civil association Humanidad con América Latina. The initiative is promoted by workers and collaborators of the Mexican newspaper La Jornada.

Text Reads: I am retired from politics, but my libertarian convictions prevent me from remaining silent in the face of the arrogant attack on the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people and the kidnapping of their president. Neither Bolívar nor Lincoln would accept the United States government acting as a global tyranny.

According to López Obrador, the funds collected will be used to purchase food, medicines, oil and gasoline to be sent to Cuba.

“Let each person contribute what they can!” he said, recalling a statement by Mexican General Lázaro Cárdenas during the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion. At that time, Cárdenas argued that “it is not lawful to advocate our indifference toward their heroic struggle, because their fate is ours.”

During his presidency from 2018 to 2024, López Obrador emphasized the historical relationship between Mexico and Cuba, which had cooled under previous administrations. In May 2022, he carried out an official visit to Havana, where Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel awarded him the Order of José Martí, the highest distinction granted by the Cuban state to foreign figures.

The fundraising initiative responds to worsening energy shortages in Cuba, which have been linked to U.S. sanctions that severely restrict the island’s ability to import fuel. The situation has affected transportation, electricity generation and basic services.

Cuban authorities recently confirmed that conversations with the United States are taking place. However, President Díaz-Canel said the talks are not advanced and stressed that any dialogue must take place under conditions of respect and equality between both nations.

IN THIS ARTICLE