…Calls For UN Sanctions On US
THE NIGERIA Movement of Solidarity with Cuba (NMSC) has issued a strong condemnation of the United States’ long-standing economic blockade against Cuba, calling the policy “illegal” and urging the United Nations to impose sanctions on the US for its refusal to heed decades of international opinion.
The resolution, arrived at the NMSC’s 2026 Conference held on Tuesday, February 24, at the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Conference Hall in Abuja, was part of a communiqué dated February 28, 2026, and signed by Salisu Nuhu Mohammed, Chairperson of the NMSC.
The conference saw a gathering of prominent Nigerian figures, including former Interior Minister Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who serves as the movement’s Honorary President, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, TUC President, Festus Osifo, and human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN.
In a ten-point resolution, the movement praised the recent Resolution of the African Heads of State Summit, which condemned the US embargo during its February 15 meeting in Addis Ababa, noting that it accurately reflects the sentiment of the African people.
The NMSC declared the unilateral US blockade, in place since 1962, a “gross violation of the United Nations Charter”, and specifically demanded that Washington immediately remove Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, describing the designation as “baseless and utterly false.”
The conference also addressed the situation in Venezuela, demanding the immediate release of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
According to NMSC, the pair were “abducted from the Presidential Villa in Caracas by US troops,” and called for their safe return home.
The conference commended the United Nations for its 33 consecutive years of resolutions calling for an end to the embargo, but urged the global body to take a harder line by imposing sanctions on the United States for its continued non-compliance.
It also expressed solidarity with the American citizenry, whom they acknowledged have “repeatedly rejected” their government’s sanctions policy, encouraging them to “keep up the struggle until justice is done.”
Invoking Pan-African principles, the NMSC highlighted the historical sacrifices made by Cuba in Africa, noting that 4,000 Cuban youths fought to defend Angola and secure the independence of South Africa.
Citing Nigeria’s constitutional Pan-African responsibilities, the communiqué urged Nigeria, Angola, and South Africa to provide Cuba with urgent fuel and humanitarian supplies.
The conference further celebrated Cuba’s global medical outreach, particularly its efforts in combating epidemics like Ebola and Covid-19, stating that the island nation has “taught the world how to love each other and be ready to sacrifice.”
The movement called on African peoples to forge closer ties with the African diaspora in the Americas, especially Cubans, whom they noted are “ninety per cent of African origins.”
The communiqué concluded by affirming humanity’s alliance with the Cuban people in their “principled stand to live a life of dignity, free from threats and sanctions.”
