Cuba's power grid 'critical' as US blocks fuel shipments
DW.com • • nation
Key Points:
- Cuba is facing worsening power outages as oil reserves have "run out," with Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy attributing the crisis to the ongoing US blockade of oil shipments.
- The US has blocked fuel imports to Cuba for four months, leading to severe disruptions in public services and daily life, including prolonged blackouts lasting up to 20 hours a day in Havana and several provinces.
- Despite the blockade, Cuba continues to seek fuel imports amid rising oil prices exacerbated by the Iran war, with the UN condemning the US blockade as unlawful and harmful to Cuban citizens' rights.
- Protests erupted in Havana over the blackouts and shortages of food and medicine, while the US offered $100 million in humanitarian aid contingent on acceptance by the Cuban government.
- US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, blame systemic corruption and the Cuban military regime for the country's economic crisis, rejecting prospects for change under current leadership.