On Wednesday evening, hundreds of Cubans took to the streets of Havana's outskirts, blocking roads with burning piles of garbage and loudly demanding the restoration of power, Reuters reports.
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Protesters banged pots and pans, chanting slogans demanding light and unity of the nation. It was the largest one-night wave of demonstrations in the capital since the beginning of the current energy crisis.
Protests in Havana. This is a reaction to Donald Trump's policies
Peaceful groups of residents gathered in many parts of the city to express their dissatisfaction with the prolonged power outages. The situation became especially acute after January, when US President Donald Trump introduced a fuel embargo and threatened sanctions against countries supplying raw materials to Cuba.
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Many Havana residents emphasize that the lack of electricity prevents them from functioning normally. Rodolfo Alonso, a state employee from the Playa district, explained that he decided to join the protest after more than 40 hours. without power. He drew attention to the difficult situation of the elderly and sick, as well as to perishable food. Alonso explained that residents started banging pots to restore electricity for at least a few hours, emphasizing that they were not concerned about political issues but about basic needs.
In some places where protests occurred, power was restored for a short time, which was met with an enthusiastic response from those gathered. The police were present on the spot, but in most cases they limited themselves to observing the situation and did not intervene.
Havana and the growing energy crisis
Cuba's energy and mining minister, Vicente de la O Levy, told state media that the country had completely exhausted its reserves of crude oil and diesel fuel. According to him, the power grid is in a critical condition, with power outages in many districts of Havana reaching up to 20-22 hours. per day. This situation further deepens social tensions in the city, which was already struggling with shortages of food, fuel and medicines.
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Irailda Bravo, a 38-year-old resident of the Marianao district, admitted that she joined the protest after spending several nights on her doorstep, forced to leave due to the heat. She pointed out that despite being aware of the difficult situation in the country, residents have children, have to work and need rest, which they are currently deprived of.
Havana authorities are appealing for help
A top energy official assured that Cuba is still in talks on fuel imports despite the current blockade. However, as he noted, rising oil and transport prices in the world, resulting from the conflict between the United States and Israel with Iran, further hamper these efforts. The Minister of Energy emphasized that Cuba is open to cooperation with anyone who decides to sell fuel to it.
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Since President Trump introduced the embargo, the main oil suppliers, Mexico and Venezuela, have not sent any shipments to Cuba. Since December, only one large Russian-flagged tanker has delivered oil to the island, which provided short-term relief in April.
The blockade paralyzes life on the island
Further power outages in Havana and other parts of the country have occurred for the fourth month in a row since the US blockade of fuel imports continues. This situation seriously hampers the functioning of public services in Cuba, where almost 10 million people live.
Last week, the United Nations described the blockade imposed by the Trump administration as unlawful. The UN said these restrictions hamper Cubans' right to development and undermine their access to food, education, health care, water and sanitation.
