“Turn on the lights!”: The largest protests in Havana since the start of the energy crisis 0 11

This is the largest wave of protests in Havana since the beginning of the energy crisis in January, reports BBC.

Earlier, Cuba's Minister of Energy Vicente de la O Levy stated that the island has completely run out of fuel oil and diesel, causing the energy system to be in a "critical state."

In some areas of Havana, there is no electricity for 20–22 hours a day.

Against this backdrop, the U.S. on Wednesday once again offered Cuba humanitarian aid of $100 million — in exchange for "significant reforms of the island's communist system."

The situation sharply deteriorated after January, when U.S. President Donald Trump, who had repeatedly stated his intention to achieve a change in Cuba's communist government, intensified the embargo and threatened tariffs on countries supplying fuel to the island.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel wrote on social media on Wednesday that the cause of the energy crisis is the actions of the U.S., while acknowledging that the situation on the island is "particularly tense." "This dramatic deterioration has one cause — the genocidal energy blockade that the United States imposes on our country, threatening irrational tariffs to any state that supplies us with fuel," he stated.

Traditionally, Cuba relied on oil supplies from Venezuela and Mexico for its refineries. However, both countries have largely ceased supplies after President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on states sending fuel to the island.

Two days ago, President Donald Trump announced that Cuba is "collapsing" and has requested negotiations, but did not provide any specific details.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for "substantive dialogue," emphasizing that there is no military solution to the crisis.

Earlier this month, Trump stated that in the event of a military conflict, the United States would "almost immediately" take control of Cuba.

Protests erupted simultaneously in several areas of Havana.

"We have many elderly people living here, many are bedridden. Food is spoiling," said Rodolfo Alonso, a resident of the capital working in the public sector, to Reuters.

According to him, he decided to participate in the protest after his Playa neighborhood was left without electricity for more than 40 hours.

"We started banging pots just to get at least three hours of light. We don’t need anything more. This is not a political protest," he said.

Reuters journalists reported that in several instances they saw electricity returning specifically to those areas where protests were taking place. After that, crowds of men, women, and children applauded and quickly dispersed.

Heavily reinforced police units were on the scene, but law enforcement mainly observed from the sidelines and did not intervene.

Earlier that same day, Cuba's Minister of Energy and Mines made a statement. "We have absolutely no fuel oil or diesel. There are no reserves left. The only thing we have is gas from our fields, where production has increased," Vicente de la O said on state television.

According to him, power outages lasting 20–22 hours a day have further exacerbated tensions in a city already suffering from shortages of food, fuel, and medicine.

Hospitals in Cuba can no longer operate normally, and schools and government institutions are forced to close. The crisis has also hit tourism — one of the key sectors of the Cuban economy. Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Cuban authorities had rejected American humanitarian aid amounting to $100 million. Havana denied this accusation.

In the editorial's view, the energy crisis in Cuba has turned into not only an economic but also a serious social problem. Multi-hour power outages, shortages of fuel, food, and medicine are increasing tensions in society and severely impacting people's daily lives. Meanwhile, the standoff between Havana and Washington continues to complicate the search for a quick solution, and the situation on the island remains extremely unstable.