Havana, Cuba — Cuba plunged into a deepening national crisis as a nationwide blackout left much of the island without electricity, worsening economic hardship and triggering rare public protests.
In Havana, residents spent nearly 24 hours without power, sitting on sidewalks exhausted as daily life came to a standstill. The blackout marks the sixth nationwide outage in less than a year and a half. By midday, only about 45% of the capital had electricity restored, while many provinces faced outages lasting up to two days.
Economic Collapse Fuels Rare Protests and Public Defiance
The crisis has extended far beyond electricity. Shortages of food, fuel, and medicine are intensifying, with rising inflation making basic goods increasingly unaffordable. Many residents report that even small amounts of fuel are difficult to obtain and often require payment in U.S. dollars, which most Cubans do not have access to.
Essential services are being disrupted. Hospitals have suspended some operations, schools have closed, and water systems are failing due to the lack of power. Across the country, people are relying on candles while food spoils in refrigerators.
Public frustration is growing and has begun to spill into the streets. Protests have been reported in Havana and Morón, with at least five arrests following clashes with authorities. In one of the most serious incidents in recent years, protesters in Morón ransacked and set fire to a Communist Party office on March 14. Nighttime protests have also included residents banging pots and pans and burning trash in the streets.
Experts say the crisis is driven by a combination of long-term underinvestment in infrastructure, fuel shortages, U.S. sanctions, and reduced oil support from Venezuela and Mexico. Analysts warn that the situation represents one of the most serious challenges to the Cuban government since the end of the Cold War, as economic collapse and public discontent continue to deepen.
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