Cubans Face Island-Wide Blackouts Following U.S. Energy Blockade
Cuban officials reported an island-wide blackout on Monday, leaving the country of roughly 11 million residents without power. Prolonged blackouts and food shortages sparked a rarely seen protest at the Communist Party headquarters in Morón on Saturday, according to Cuban state media.
Protesters also shouted “liberty,” made a bonfire with the office furniture, attempted to set the building on fire, and banged pots. Police detained five people from the demonstration, according to Cuban state media.
AND MORE: Residents in Cuba’s capital, Havana, gathered last week to bang pots in protest of the extended blackouts. Students also organized a sit-in on the steps of the University of Havana last Monday after the government suspended in-person classes over fuel shortages.
While blackouts are common in Cuba due to aging infrastructure, new U.S. pressure on oil shipments has sharply reduced fuel supplies — adding to the country’s already strained energy system. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Friday said the island had not received fuel shipments in more than three months.
PRESSURE ON CUBA
Historically, Cuba’s energy was subsidized by Venezuela. After the U.S. capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro in January, Trump has cut off the shipment of Venezuelan oil to Cuba and threatened to impose tariffs on any country that supplies the country with oil.
The oil blockade has exacerbated existing fuel, food, and medicine shortages in the country, which has been under a U.S. trade embargo since 1962.
Díaz-Canel said on Friday that Cuba has been relying instead on solar power, natural gas, and thermoelectric plants. He also said that the Cuban government has postponed surgery for tens of thousands of people because of the blackout.
RISING TENSIONS
Trump suggested last week that the U.S. could pursue what he called a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, saying the country is running out of energy and money. Cuba confirmed Friday that it was conducting talks in Washington to diffuse the situation, but has not since provided an update on the talks.