Cuba’s Crisis: Blackouts, Protests and a US Embargo’s Impact

HAVANA — Reggaeton boomed in a neighborhood bar in Old Havana on a recent night when, suddenly, the music stopped and everything went dark. The customers groaned. Another blackout. A U.S. Blockade on oil shipments to Cuba has plunged the island into its worst energy crisis in modern history, according to reports from the Associated Press and The Los Angeles Times [The Los Angeles Times]. The country’s already cratering economy now teeters on the verge of collapse, with vehicles idled by a lack of gas, hospitals forced to cancel surgeries and millions living without a steady supply of electricity and water.

The crisis stems from a calculated pressure campaign initiated by the Trump administration, which has been negotiating with Cuba’s leaders over the future of the communist-ruled Caribbean island. The Cuban government refused a request by the U.S. Embassy in Havana to import diesel for its generators, even as the State Department considered reducing staffing due to the fuel shortage, the AP reported [AP News]. This rejection came as the U.S. Has restricted Cuba’s access to subsidized oil from Venezuela since removing Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, and subsequently threatening tariffs on any country supplying Cuba with oil.

People fed up with rolling blackouts have staged sporadic protests in recent days, banging pots and shouting slogans against the government, rare demonstrations in a country known for repressing dissent, The Los Angeles Times reported. Cuba has experienced three island-wide blackouts in recent weeks, the most recent lasting from Saturday night into Sunday.

“The U.S. Is trying to punish the Cuban government,” said a customer named Rolando at the darkened bar in Old Havana, as quoted by The Los Angeles Times. “But it’s the people who are suffering.” Cuba’s struggles predate the current oil embargo, with years of complaints about food shortages, crumbling public services, and political repression. Demographers note Cuba is undergoing one of the world’s fastest population declines, a 25% drop in just four years, as birth rates fall and emigration soars.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has blamed “genocidal” economic, financial, and trade restrictions imposed by the United States since Fidel Castro’s revolution in 1959. However, many Cubans blame their own leaders for economic mismanagement and a departure from the ideals of the revolution. Juan Carlos Albizu-Campos Espiñeira, an economist at the Christian Center for Reflection and Dialogue in Havana, faults the government for soaring inflation and prioritizing tourism over fundamental sectors like industry and healthcare. “Here’s the worst moment in Cuba’s history,” he said, adding, “But things were really bad before this.”

The crisis is acutely felt by ordinary Cubans. Pablo Barrueto, 63, works at a construction site and spends afternoons hauling water to neighbors who have been without it for weeks. He and his partner, Maribel Estrada, 55, a security guard earning $5 monthly, struggle to afford basic necessities. Estrada has developed ulcers on her legs but cannot access antibiotics due to shortages at state-run pharmacies and exorbitant black market prices. “If I lived in another country, my legs wouldn’t look like this,” she said.

The U.S. Has a long history of involvement in Cuban affairs, from its role in the island’s independence from Spain to its support for the Batista regime. While Cuba was once celebrated as a symbol of anti-imperialism, some of that support has waned in recent years amid government crackdowns on dissent. The Trump administration’s policies have also alienated potential allies who might have offered assistance, with Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia declining to provide emergency fuel shipments for fear of U.S. Repercussions.

The current crisis began on January 3, when the U.S. Launched an attack on Venezuela, killing Cuban security guards and capturing President Nicolás Maduro, according to The Los Angeles Times. As the U.S. Seized control of Venezuela’s oil industry, Cuba, which had relied on subsidized oil shipments from Maduro’s regime, was left without fuel. Cuba’s leaders say the country has not received a fuel shipment in three months, crippling its electricity generation.

A Russian oil tanker carrying 750,000 barrels of crude is currently en route to Cuba, but it remains unclear whether the U.S. Will attempt to intercept it. Meanwhile, the “Nuestra América” humanitarian convoy is delivering more than 20 tons of supplies to Cuba, including medicine, food, and solar panels. David Adler, a coordinator with Progressive International, which organized the convoy, stated, “We’re beginning to reach to grips with the fact that there will be mothers and children and elderly and sick people who will die simply as a result of this senseless and cruel and criminal policy.”

As Havana and Washington negotiate a potential deal, many Cubans feel like pawns in a geopolitical game. At the darkened bar in Old Havana, workers lit candles and served warm beer. Someone played the 2004 Daddy Yankee hit “Gasolina.” “Dáme más gasolina!” they sang together. “Deliver me more gasoline!”