On January 14, US President Joseph Biden informed the US Congress of his administration’s intention to remove Cuba from the list of states sponsoring of terrorism.” The removal was announced six days before Biden’s term is set to end and Donald Trump’s second term as president begins.

The majority of countries and citizens in the US have long called for the removal of restrictions, including the cruel economic embargo on the country, that have caused severe suffering for Cubans.

The move is said to be part of the US’s negotiations for the release of prisoners held in Cuba for the US-directed subversive activities aimed to overthrow the Havana government.

Cuba acknowledged the move as positive. It is a “rectification, in a limited way, of some aspects of a cruel and unjust policy,” Cuba’s foreign affairs minister said. Biden is not withdrawing the US sanctions that have crippled Cuba’s economy and that Cuba considers as genocidal and illegal.

In a separate statement, the minister announced the release of 553 individuals convicted of various crimes, in accordance with Cuba’s negotiations with the Vatican.

Cuba was placed on the list of state sponsors of terrorism in 2021, under Trump’s first term as president. The US used as justification the presence of 10 FARC leaders, an armed group in Colombia, who were then engaged in peace talks with the Colombian government.

The designation imposed additional restrictions on the country’s trade and humanitarian aid from international humanitarian organizations during times of crisis. The country was already struggling from additional economic sanctions, which Trump imposed when he first took office.

With Trump’s return to power, it is highly likely that he will simply reinstate the designation, further worsening the Cuban people’s suffering.