The United States has removed Cuba from the list of countries not fully cooperating against terrorism, an index also known as the Not Fully Cooperating Countries (NFCC) list, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel confirmed this development on Wednesday, stating that the circumstances leading to Cuba’s designation as an NFCC have changed since 2022.
The NFCC list, a part of the State Department’s annual assessment of international cooperation in counterterrorism efforts, can potentially lead to countries facing restrictions on certain types of aid and exports of defense-related goods and services.
Cuba was initially placed on the NFCC list in 2020. This was due to its refusal to collaborate with Colombia on extradition requests related to members of the National Liberation Army, a designated terrorist organization. The Cuban government did not formally respond to the extradition requests for ELN leaders filed by Colombia after the group claimed responsibility for the 2019 bombing of a Bogotá police academy that killed 22 people and injured 87 others.
However, circumstances have now changed, leading to the removal of Cuba from the NFCC list. Notably, the resumption of law enforcement cooperation between the US and Cuba in 2023, including on counterterrorism issues, was a driving factor. Furthermore, Colombia’s suspension of arrest warrants against the concerned individuals in August 2022 made Cuba’s previous stance on the extradition requests irrelevant.
Despite this development, Cuba remains on the separate US list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. Cuba was reinstated to this list in 2021 due to its continued harboring of several US fugitives wanted on charges related to political violence, and its refusal to extradite ELN leaders.
The removal from the NFCC list does not automatically trigger a review of Cuba’s status as a state sponsor of terrorism. Conversely, compared to the NFCC list, the State Sponsor of Terrorism designation carries more severe implications, including broader economic sanctions and restrictions on foreign assistance.
The countries currently on the NFCC list are North Korea, Iran, Syria, and Venezuela, while the countries on the SST list are Cuba, North Korea, Iran, and Syria
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez welcomed the removal but urged the US to take further steps toward fully normalizing relations. He emphasized the need for the US to recognize Cuba’s full cooperation with global efforts against terrorism and for any political manipulation of the issue to end. He additionally called for an end to Cuba’s arbitrary inclusion in the list of States sponsors of terrorism, terming it as unjust.