A

by María Josefina Arce

The month of August has begun with intense solidarity with Cuba: from one end of the world to the other, a unanimous demand has been heard in recent days: its exclusion from the illegitimate US list of countries allegedly sponsoring terrorism.

Legislators, friendship movements and citizens in general have raised their voices to condemn the inclusion of the largest of the Antilles in that list and to reiterate the demand for an end to the genocidal U.S. blockade against the Cuban people.

The demands of various nations such as Turkey, Sri Lanka and Russia stand out, as well as the letter sent to US President Joe Biden by 46 US Congressmen who recognize the arbitrary inclusion of Cuba, which has fulfilled its commitment as a guarantor in the process of peace talks in Colombia with total seriousness and responsibility.

The Caribbean nation, which had been removed from the unilateral list in 2015, was reinstated six years later by Donald Trump at the end of his presidential term, for having respected the protocols of the peace talks.

The U.S. administration used as one of the pretexts Havana's refusal to extradite 10 members of the insurgent ELN, National Liberation Army, who had participated in negotiations with Colombian authorities.

Last May, the Table of Dialogue for Peace between the government of Colombian President Gustavo Petro and the ELN reiterated its demand that Cuba be completely removed from the list.

Recently, at the First International Meeting of Peace Processes in Bogotá, Cuba's role as a guarantor country in the signing of the 2016 peace agreement between the government of then-President Juan Manuel Santos and the former guerrilla Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army was highlighted.

The inclusion of Cuba in the illegitimate U.S. list of countries allegedly sponsoring terrorism has been another excuse to escalate Washington's undeclared war against the Cuban people and hinder its development.

It is a set of sanctions that, together with the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States for more than six decades, has had a negative impact on the lives of Cuban families.

It is a total injustice that is denounced throughout the world, where every day the concert of voices in favor of the exclusion of Cuba from the illegitimate list that Washington creates at will and according to its interests is growing.