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This Monday, March 18, 2024, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel accused Washington and its sanctions against the island of causing the current crisis in the Caribbean country. On Sunday, March 17, hundreds of people protested food shortages and prolonged daily blackouts.
With demonstrations in Cuba's second main city, Santiago, and other surrounding areas, hundreds of citizens showed their rejection of the economic crisis that is plaguing the island, aggravated by the shortage of energy, fuel and food.
While Washington urged the Government of Miguel Díaz-Canel to “respect the rights of the protesters and address the legitimate needs of the Cuban people,” the president placed responsibility on the sanctions that, for decades, have weighed on the Central American country.
The infamous troupe wanted to go out yesterday to dance with the pain of the Cubans. Mediocre politicians and terrorists in networks lined up from South Florida to heat up the streets of #Cuba with interventionist messages and calls for chaos. They were left wanting.
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) March 18, 2024
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez criticized the US Embassy's comments, also blaming Cuba's “acute economic situation” on the prolonged trade embargo and sanctions.
For its part, The United States described the accusation as “absurd” and said, through the State Department, that the protests are a reflection of the serious situation on the island.
No power or fuel
Cuba has fallen into an almost unprecedented economic crisis since the Covid-19 pandemic, with a major shortage of food, fuel and medicine which has fueled an unprecedented exodus that has seen more than 400,000 people migrate to the United States.
This Monday, at the time of greatest energy demand, Cuba will have simultaneous blackouts in at least 31% of the islandin accordance with the forecasts of the state Electrical Union (UNE), dependent on the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
The breakdowns in the island's obsolete power plants, as well as the lack of fuel, have meant that, since the end of January, the supply impact rate has fluctuated between 20% and 45%. Among others, that was the reason for Sunday's demonstrations.
We are aware of reports of peaceful protests in Santiago, Bayamo, Granma and other places in Cuba, with citizens protesting the lack of food and electricity. We urge the Cuban government to respect the human rights of the protesters and address the…
— United States Embassy in Cuba (@USEmbCuba) March 18, 2024
The crisis heats up spirits in a country unaccustomed to protests
Protests in Cuba are extremely rare, but have emerged more frequently in recent years as the economic crisis shakes the country.
In 2021, the largest since Fidel Castro's revolution in 1959 were recorded.
Cuba's 2019 Constitution gives citizens the right to protest, but a law that more specifically defines that right is stalled in the legislature, leaving those who take to the streets in legal limbo.
Human rights groups, the European Union and the United States have criticized the response to the most recent mass protests as harsh and repressive.
With Reuters and EFE
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