The Pan African Movement Uganda National Chapter (PAM-UNC) has issued a formal solidarity statement condemning United States sanctions imposed on Cuba on May 1, 2026, warning that the measures extend beyond Cuba to directly threaten the economic sovereignty of African nations, including Uganda.
In the statement dated May 4, 2026, and signed by National Executive Committee Chairman Daniel Rugarama, the organisation described a US Executive Order targeting Cuba’s energy, mining, and financial services sectors as a calculated escalation of a longstanding economic blockade amounting to collective punishment against the Cuban people.
The organisation’s sharpest argument is directed not at the bilateral US-Cuba dimension but at the extraterritorial reach of the measures. By authorising secondary sanctions against any foreign financial institution that facilitates trade with Cuba, the US effectively gives itself authority to penalise African banks and businesses that maintain lawful commercial relationships with Havana, the statement argues. PAM-UNC contends this constitutes a direct violation of the United Nations Charter and the bilateral arrangements of independent African states.
The statement details the humanitarian consequences already unfolding under what it terms an “Energy Siege,” citing disruptions to factories, hospitals, schools, and food supply chains across the island. It draws on historical memory to ground the African case for solidarity, recalling Cuba’s military support during African liberation struggles and its deployment of medical personnel to countries including Uganda.
PAM-UNC called on the Government of Uganda, as a member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), to formally denounce the measures at the United Nations. The organisation also demanded the immediate removal of Cuba from the US “State Sponsors of Terrorism” designation, which it described as an instrument of financial strangulation rather than a genuine security classification.
The statement aligns with a position taken by the African Union (AU), which the organisation said had also firmly rejected the new coercive measures.
