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Nationwide blackout plunges Cuba into darkness
Millions across Cuba, including the capital Havana, lost power on Monday after the national electricity grid failed, the state-run operator confirmed. Streets were lit only by car headlights and battery-powered lamps as the outage disrupted daily life.
Gradual restoration underway
UNE, Cuba's grid operator, announced early Tuesday that electricity was being slowly restored to provinces and cities. However, the blackout is the latest in a series of power failures straining the island's aging infrastructure and fuel-dependent energy system.
Fuel shortages and US sanctions deepen crisis
Cuba's reliance on imported fuel has been crippled by a US embargo on oil shipments to the communist nation. President Miguel Díaz-Canel revealed last week that the country has not received an oil delivery in three months, worsening chronic shortages.
Venezuela, once a key supplier providing roughly half of Cuba's oil needs, halted shipments after the US seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January. US President Donald Trump has since threatened tariffs on any nation exporting oil to Cuba, further isolating the island.
Public anger erupts in protests
Frustration over the blackouts, coupled with food and medicine shortages, has sparked rare public dissent. Demonstrators in Havana banged pots and pans on Monday, while a protest in the central city of Morón escalated into the ransacking of a local Communist Party office.
Unauthorized protests are illegal in Cuba, and participants risk arrest. Despite the risks, residents like 26-year-old Lázaro Hernández voiced growing desperation.
"It's not just the blackout. There's no water because the pumps need electricity. There's no food, no fuel, and prices are skyrocketing because businesses rely on trucks to transport goods. Everything is falling apart."
Lázaro Hernández, Havana resident
Another Havana resident, 26-year-old Dayana Machin, said the blackouts had become routine. "We're used to living like this," she told reporters.
US-Cuba tensions escalate
Trump intensified rhetoric against Cuba on Monday, claiming he could "do anything" with the island, including a "friendly takeover." He previously urged Havana to "make a deal" or face unspecified consequences.
In response, Díaz-Canel confirmed preliminary talks with the US to ease tensions. As a gesture of goodwill, Cuba released 51 prisoners last week.
Cuba seeks alternative energy solutions
To counter the fuel crisis, Cuba has ramped up domestic oil and gas production and expanded solar energy. However, these measures have yet to ease public discontent over persistent power cuts, which remain a flashpoint for protests.
The government has also restricted air travel to conserve fuel, dealing another blow to the island's tourism-dependent economy.
