Cuba on its knees: Blackouts and protests alarm the regime

Cuba is grappling with a severe energy crisis, leading to widespread power outages and renewed protests across the island. Residents in Havana, including neighborhoods like San Isidro, Centro Habana, Guanabacoa, and San Miguel del Padrón, have taken to the streets, organizing 'cacerolazos', pot-banging demonstrations, and road blockades to voice their frustration over continuous electricity and water shortages.

The national electricity grid has experienced its fourth major collapse this year, with the state electricity company forecasting a staggering 69% deficit in energy supply during peak hours. These prolonged blackouts severely impact daily life, making it nearly impossible to preserve food, cook, or operate water pumps. Compounding the hardship, the government recently implemented significant price hikes for domestic gas, nearly doubling the cost of a 10-kilogram LPG cylinder from 213 to 350 pesos, and increasing network gas prices by 98.8%.

While the government attributes these price increases to difficulties in oil imports as part of a broader package of 176 reforms, the population faces a substantial burden, especially amid an annual inflation rate that reached 18.3% in June. Growing public discontent has become a major concern for state leaders. A leaked slide, mistakenly shown during a state television broadcast, revealed the true objective behind President Miguel Díaz-Canel's recent meetings with Defense Councils: to "avoid a social explosion."

The document outlined directives for political, economic, and communication strategies to quell unrest, contradicting the official narrative of routine management meetings. President Díaz-Canel has also urged local authorities to address the needs of pensioners and "preserve citizen tranquility." Official figures show a steady rise in dissent, with 1,311 demonstrations recorded in May and 107 street protests in June, primarily in the capital. The persistent issues of blackouts, sometimes lasting up to 48 hours in Havana and 87 hours in Matanzas, coupled with chronic food scarcity, continue to fuel these protests. The organization Cubalex reported six forced disappearances following protests in Guantánamo and documented over 319 repressive events between May and June.