Addis Ababa, February 11 (RHC)- The thirty-third Ordinary Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, meeting in Ethiopia on 9-10 February 2020, adopted a resolution on the impact of unilateral sanctions and coercive measures.

The text, in section A, condemns the unilateral sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, and Burundi. On the other hand, the Resolution included in section B, its concern about the continuity and illegality of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed on Cuba.

The document recognizes the blockade as the main obstacle for Cuba to implement the U.N. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development while reaffirming its support to the U.N. General Assembly Resolution on the issue, which every year receives the unanimous support of African States.

In another paragraph, the 55 members of the A.U. regret the setback experienced in bilateral relations between Cuba and the United States, with emphasis on the new sanctions adopted by that country since November 9, 2017, by extending the extraterritorial component of the blockade through the full implementation of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act.

The Resolution urges the U.S. government to lift the unjustified and long-standing blockade. It concludes by expressing its solidarity with the Cuban people.

For the eleventh consecutive time, the African Union has made clear its firm rejection of the U.S. blockade against Cuba, which it has also done in various multilateral forums.