politics
May 8, 2026
US Sanctions on Cuban Military Conglomerate Gaesa
The Court of Appeals declared the levies illegal and set their validity. Photo: iStock
TL;DR
- The US has imposed new sanctions on Cuba's military conglomerate GAESA, its director Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, and the mining company Moa Nickel.
- These sanctions are intended to cut off illicit assets to the Cuban regime and military, increasing pressure on the island's struggling economy.
- GAESA reportedly controls a substantial part of Cuba's economy, encompassing sectors such as tourism, finance, trade, and military-linked businesses.
- The US administration views GAESA as the "heart of Cuba's kleptocratic communist system," arguing it concentrates resources while the population faces economic hardship.
- Moa Nickel S.A. was sanctioned for operating in Cuba's nickel and cobalt mining sector, a key source of foreign currency for the island.
- These actions coincide with Sherritt International's decision to suspend its direct participation in joint ventures in Cuba, indicating potential impacts on foreign companies.
- Cuban authorities have denounced the sanctions as a strategy to "choke the economy" and exacerbate internal difficulties, while also criticizing the extraterritorial reach of the measures.
- International observers warn that the economic deterioration resulting from these sanctions could negatively impact the civilian population, alongside existing issues of inflation and scarcity.