Humanitarian aid from Mexico arrives in Matanzas
Photo> Cubasi

By María Josefina Arce

Cuba is going through complex and painful days due to the fire of great proportions in the industrial zone of Matanzas; but Cubans, and especially the people of Matanzas, are not alone.  Countless are the messages of support from governments, peoples, personalities, institutions and organizations that have not stopped arriving.

From all corners of the world, there are expressions of encouragement, wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured and support for the families of Matanzas.

And this solidarity has also been expressed with the help of Mexico and Venezuela. In response to the request of the Cuban authorities for international assistance to deal with the disaster, the two nations, with whom we are united by indestructible bonds of brotherhood and who have repeatedly extended their hand and supported us in difficult times, immediately responded.

Since this weekend, together with Cuban firemen and rescuers, experts from those two countries, with experience in these types of events, have been in western Matanzas. They also arrived with the necessary materials to extinguish the fire.

Health professionals from Mexico's National Defense Secretariat are also in our country to help in the medical care of the victims.

In his morning press conference at the National Palace, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reiterated that his country will continue to help the Cuban people. In fact, in the last few hours, a load of foam tanks and hoses arrived in the archipelago to deal with the disaster.

Russia, Nicaragua, Argentina and Chile also promptly expressed their willingness to provide material assistance in the face of the complex situation, while the U.S. government offered technical assistance.

Solidarity is widespread and encouraging under the present conditions.  A donation of sanitary supplies has already arrived from Ghana to attend to the injured, while from nearby Jamaica the medical brigade working in that nation and the Cuban embassy sent a shipment of medicines.

The attitude of Cubans living abroad, who have once again expressed their support and their willingness to help Cuba, as they did in the face of the world health emergency caused by COVID-19 and the tightening of the U.S. blockade, is praiseworthy.

They have been fully involved in the collection of donations and monetary contributions to be sent as soon as possible to those in need and to hospitals. From Europe, Latin America to the United States, the campaign in favor of the people of the western city of Matanzas is developing.

For many, in the face of this complex situation, it is time to repay the solidarity that Cuba has offered to the world for decades, without conditions, in the face of natural disasters and to improve access to health and education for the poorest sectors. And Cuba greatly appreciates this humanitarian attitude of so many people, which reaffirms once again that we are not alone.