Protests erupt in Havana as Cuba faces severe fuel shortages

Scattered protests erupted in Havana on Thursday as residents voiced frustration over worsening shortages of food, electricity, and fuel, prompting a visible security presence. Cuban government announced the nation’s fuel reserves had been completely exhausted, following the depletion of a 100,000-tonne emergency shipment of Russian crude oil that arrived in late March. Eastern provinces experienced extended blackouts while residents in several Havana neighbourhoods protested by banging pots and shouting for electricity to be restored. Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy told state television that the situation had become “very tense” as fuel deliveries slowed. President Miguel Diaz-Canel blamed the shortages on the US embargo and recent sanctions targeting oil supplies to the island of 9.6 million people. The crisis has intensified since January, when tighter US restrictions disrupted fuel imports to Cuba. According to data compiled by AFP, around 65 percent of the country experienced simultaneous blackouts earlier this week, while some areas of Havana endured outages lasting more than 19 hours a day. Cuba relies on eight ageing thermoelectric plants, several operating for over 40 years, which regularly break down.