They shout their anger.

Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Santiago de Cuba, in the southeast of the island, on Sunday March 17 to protest against the long power cuts that residents suffered at the end of the week.

"People were shouting 'food and electricity'," a resident of the town, located 800 kilometers east of Havana, told AFP by telephone, requesting anonymity.

Electricity came back later in the day and “two trucks of rice” were delivered, explains this witness. 

The Cuban news site 14ymedio broadcast images of rallies in Santiago de Cuba and Bayamo in which demonstrators demand electricity and food.

#URGENT #Videos The population of Santiago de Cuba protested in the spirit of "corriente" and "comida" https://t.co/ldgFSvNyjL



👉🏼 👉🏼También se escuchó a la multitud corear "libertad" and "patria y vida"

— 14ymedio (@14ymedio) March 17, 2024

In recent days, residents of Santiago de Cuba, the country's second city, have been without electricity on several occasions, sometimes for 14 hours.

“Several people have expressed their dissatisfaction with the electrical service and food distribution,” Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel reacted on X, warning against “enemies of the Revolution” who exploit this context “for destabilizing purposes ".

There are “terrorists based in the United States, whom we have denounced on several occasions, who encourage actions to destabilize the country,” he lambasted.

Various people express their inconsistency with the situation of the electrical service and the distribution of food.



This context sought to aprovechar by the enemies of the Revolution, with fine destabilizers.

— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) March 18, 2024

Maintenance work on a thermoelectric power station

On the same social network, the United States Embassy in Cuba called on the Cuban government to "respect the rights (...) of the demonstrators."

We are aware of reports of peaceful protests in Santiago, Bayamo, Granma, and elsewhere in Cuba, with citizens protesting the lack of food and electricity.

We urge the Cuban government to respect the human rights of the protestors and address the legitimate needs of the Cuban…

— Embajada de los Estados Unidos en Cuba (@USEmbCuba) March 18, 2024

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez then urged Washington not to “interfere in the country’s internal affairs,” also on X.

It is the direct and cruel responsibility of the EU in the serious economic situation that weighs on the welfare of the Cuban village.



Going to the USA, especially if you embark in #Cuba, must refrain from interfering in the country's internal affairs and from inciting social disorder.

— Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) March 18, 2024

Since the beginning of March, Cuba has been facing a new wave of outages due to maintenance work on the Antonio Güiteras thermoelectric plant, the largest on the island, located in the province of Matanzas, about a hundred kilometers to the east. from Havana.

This weekend the problem was compounded by the fuel shortage affecting the entire country.

The fuel is needed to power other operational thermoelectric plants. 

The entire island of Cuba was "affected" by power cuts, including the capital, Cuban authorities said on Saturday.

In 2022, Cuba experienced an unprecedented drop in electricity production, and even a widespread blackout caused by Hurricane Ian.

Cuba's electricity generation system consists of eight old thermoelectric plants, as well as generators and eight generator boats leased from Turkey, also affected by the lack of fuel.

With AFP

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