THE Biden administration’s decision to remove Cuba from the US’s State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT) list is welcome, but it comes four years too late and critically does nothing to end the 63-year blockade — the fundamental cause of shortages and hardship for the Cuban people.

In January 2021, Donald Trump used the final days of his presidency to spuriously designate Cuba as an SSOT — a listing which has cost the Cuban people dearly.

As a consequence, international banks refused to do business with Cuba, exacerbating existing shortages in food, fuel and medicines and contributing to the current humanitarian crisis.

This week, Joe Biden’s administration has finally responded to four years of vigorous international campaigning and removed Cuba from the SSOT list. In addition, he has suspended Title III of the Helms-Burton Act and eliminated the list of Cuban “restricted entities” banned from financial transactions — two of the 243 extra measures introduced by the Trump administration.

This is a victory for the international solidarity movement and the people of Cuba who have been calling out the baseless nature of the policy and the hypocrisy of the US government, which is currently bankrolling the terrorism of the Israeli state in Gaza.

The Cuba Solidarity Campaign thanks all supporters who signed the #OffTheList open letter to the US ambassador, the British MPs who signed parliamentary early day motion 1550, and trade unionists and members who have attended the numerous meetings and actions held during the last four years to campaign for Cuba to be removed from the list.

Sadly the fight is not over — it is just beginning.

On X, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said that Cuba should have never been included in the arbitrary which was a “politically motivated designation with very severe impact on the Cuban population, damaging economy, causing scarcities and encouraging migration to the US.”

The Trump administration cited the presence of Colombian guerillas in Havana to justify the designation, however despite international recognition that they were there to participate in official peace talks sponsored by the Norwegian government, which Cuba was hosting.

Colombian Vice-President Francia Marquez Mina welcomed Cuba’s removal from the list as “a step forward” but noted that the “blockade that has done so much harm to Cuban families has yet to be fully lifted,” and thanked Cuba again for its “invaluable support in the search for peace in Colombia.”

Former adviser to the Colombian peace process Mariela Kohon posted on X: “Finally, Cuba is removed from the US list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism. Instead of having been unfairly included in this list, Cuba should be commended for everything it has done to support peace in Colombia.”

A statement from Cuba’s Foreign Ministry called the move a “step in the right direction” but lamented that the “economic warfare” of the blockade was firmly in place and that the Biden administration had still failed to remove the numerous additional measures Trump introduced to strengthen it in 2017. Examples of these include persecuting suppliers of oil to Cuba, attacks on international medical co-operation agreements, and threatening vessels that dock in Cuba.

The incoming Trump administration and its shortly to be approved anti-Cuban Secretary of State Marco Rubio, will undoubtedly work swiftly to return Cuba to the SSOT list, allowing little or no time for international banks to change policy to Cuba, all of which will be mindful that the decision may not last long.

Statements from pro-blockade politicians provide a taste of what to expect from Trump, Rubio and a Republican majority Congress. Texan senator Ted Cruz issued a statement on his website which said: “Today’s decision is unacceptable on its merits. The terrorism advanced by the Cuban regime has not ceased. I will work with President Trump and my colleagues to immediately reverse and limit the damage from the decision.”

In an incredulous and fraudulent post on X, Florida Congressperson Maria Elvira Salazar claimed that “Cuba is one of the most evil sponsors of global terrorism. They fund, train, host and empower terrorists. In taking Cuba off the State Sponsor of Terrorism list, Biden is once again putting our enemies first (in this case, enabling TERRORISTS) and America last.”

The Cuba Solidarity Campaign is committed to the coming fight against a US State Department which will have Cuba in its sights, and we know that Cuba can rely on all friends to do the same.

Natasha Hickman is campaigns and communications manager for the Cuba Solidarity Campaign (cuba-solidarity.org.uk).