Global pop star Camila Cabello calls for urgent aid to her native Cuba to stem 'humanitarian crisis'
By Sergio R. Bustos
February 22, 2026 at 2:55 PM EST
Global pop singer-songwriter Camila Cabello is using her massive social media platform to sound the alarm on what she describes as a "profound humanitarian crisis" gripping her native Cuba.
Cabello, who grew up in Miami, wrote a lengthy post on X Friday to her 12 million X followers describing harrowing conditions for members of her own family and millions of others on the Caribbean island.
Cabello, who attended Miami Palmetto Senior High School, said she is speaking out because the "Cuban people are suffering in an echo chamber where no one can hear them because to speak is to risk your life."
READ MORE: Havana and Miami have the same message for Cubans on the island: Accept even more pain
They are now in the midst of a profound humanitarian crisis," she wrote. "Many people are starving, looking for food in trash heaps, and the only way to survive is having relatives ship you boxes of medicine because not even the hospitals have medicine."
"I still have family on the island that we speak to and send medicine, food and clothes to," she added.
She called the Cuban authoritarian government "a failing dictatorship and an oppressive regime" for nearly 70 years.
https://x.com/Camila_Cabello/status/2024914410314031283?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2024914410314031283%7Ctwgr%5E31f06441b0c3e207b71643c798abdf861b686e0e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.local10.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2F2026%2F02%2F20%2Fcamila-cabello-on-cuba-many-people-are-starving-looking-for-food-in-trash-heaps%2F
The current economic crisis gripping Cuba since 2020 has been compounded by intensified U.S. sanctions aimed at forcing a change in the island’s political model. These pressures led to critical shortages and severe blackouts that peaked in early 2026.
Cuba relied heavily on oil shipments from Venezuela that were halted when the U.S. attacked the South American country in early January and arrested its leader, President Nicolás Maduro.
Because Cuba produces only 40% of its required fuel, it remains highly vulnerable to external blockades.
While strong allies like Russia and China have condemned the U.S. measures, their support has remained largely symbolic thus far.
Camila Cabello (1285x1626, AR: 0.7902829028290282)
Mexico is sending major food aid to Cuba as the island struggles with fuel shortages and widespread blackouts. On Thursday, hundreds of people in Havana received bags of staples marked “Made in Mexico.” Mexico’s navy ships have brought roughly 800 tons of supplies to the island.
Cabellos' description of daily life in Cuba paints a bleak picture of a nation at a breaking point. With the island’s electrical grid nearing total failure, she said basic necessities, like water, have become luxuries.
"The power is gone for so long that food spoils and water becomes scarce," Cabello said.
"When people have peacefully protested, they have disappeared or been put behind bars, some as young as 13 years old. This is a reality where a post online costs you your life," she said.
Cabello is urging her followers and fans to look past political debates and focus on the immediate human suffering. She directed her fans to support Friends of Caritas Cuba, a non-profit organization affiliated with the Catholic Church that provides social services and humanitarian aid on the island.
“If you’re able to give, any donation makes a difference,” she wrote.
Cabello, who grew up in Miami, wrote a lengthy post on X Friday to her 12 million X followers describing harrowing conditions for members of her own family and millions of others on the Caribbean island.
Cabello, who attended Miami Palmetto Senior High School, said she is speaking out because the "Cuban people are suffering in an echo chamber where no one can hear them because to speak is to risk your life."
READ MORE: Havana and Miami have the same message for Cubans on the island: Accept even more pain
They are now in the midst of a profound humanitarian crisis," she wrote. "Many people are starving, looking for food in trash heaps, and the only way to survive is having relatives ship you boxes of medicine because not even the hospitals have medicine."
"I still have family on the island that we speak to and send medicine, food and clothes to," she added.
She called the Cuban authoritarian government "a failing dictatorship and an oppressive regime" for nearly 70 years.
https://x.com/Camila_Cabello/status/2024914410314031283?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2024914410314031283%7Ctwgr%5E31f06441b0c3e207b71643c798abdf861b686e0e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.local10.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2F2026%2F02%2F20%2Fcamila-cabello-on-cuba-many-people-are-starving-looking-for-food-in-trash-heaps%2F
The current economic crisis gripping Cuba since 2020 has been compounded by intensified U.S. sanctions aimed at forcing a change in the island’s political model. These pressures led to critical shortages and severe blackouts that peaked in early 2026.
Cuba relied heavily on oil shipments from Venezuela that were halted when the U.S. attacked the South American country in early January and arrested its leader, President Nicolás Maduro.
Because Cuba produces only 40% of its required fuel, it remains highly vulnerable to external blockades.
While strong allies like Russia and China have condemned the U.S. measures, their support has remained largely symbolic thus far.
Camila Cabello (1285x1626, AR: 0.7902829028290282)
Mexico is sending major food aid to Cuba as the island struggles with fuel shortages and widespread blackouts. On Thursday, hundreds of people in Havana received bags of staples marked “Made in Mexico.” Mexico’s navy ships have brought roughly 800 tons of supplies to the island.
Cabellos' description of daily life in Cuba paints a bleak picture of a nation at a breaking point. With the island’s electrical grid nearing total failure, she said basic necessities, like water, have become luxuries.
"The power is gone for so long that food spoils and water becomes scarce," Cabello said.
"When people have peacefully protested, they have disappeared or been put behind bars, some as young as 13 years old. This is a reality where a post online costs you your life," she said.
Cabello is urging her followers and fans to look past political debates and focus on the immediate human suffering. She directed her fans to support Friends of Caritas Cuba, a non-profit organization affiliated with the Catholic Church that provides social services and humanitarian aid on the island.
“If you’re able to give, any donation makes a difference,” she wrote.