Protests in Havana over power cuts as Cuba cut off from oil supplies

MEXICO CITY, May 15 (dpa) - Hundreds of Cubans have taken to the streets of Havana to protest against ongoing power cuts, as the country is running low on energy after losing its main supplier Venezuela earlier this year.

Videos circulating on social media showed residents setting barricades on fire in several Havana neighbourhoods overnight and banging on pots to express their anger over the daily cuts in the capital that can last up to 22 hours.

The government of the Socialist Caribbean island nation has blamed the energy crisis on a US oil embargo.

The grid collapsed again between the central province of Ciego de Ávila and the eastern region of Guantánamo on Thursday morning, resulting in widespread cuts, according to national operator UNE.

Since the start of the year, only one Russian tanker carrying 100,000 tons of oil has been able to reach Cuba. According to the government, the island of some 10 million needs at least eight such deliveries per month to cover its energy needs.

Cuba has faced a severe economic crisis for years, which has been exacerbated over the last few months by the US oil embargo.

Havana lost its main oil supplier, Venezuela, when US special forces arrested president Nicolás Maduro in Caracas in early January.

Mexico also restricted its oil supplies after US President Donald Trump threatened punitive tariffs against countries from which Cuba sources its oil.

The US State Department offered $100 million in direct humanitarian aid to the Cuban people on Wednesday, which would be distributed via the Catholic Church and other independent organizations.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said on Thursday that Cuba was "ready to hear the details of the offer and how it is to be implemented." 

However, it remains unclear at this stage whether the assistance would take the form of financial aid or goods, he wrote on X. 

The best assistance the US government could provide would be to ease the energy, economic, trade and financial embargo against the island, Rodríguez said.

Relations between Cuba and the United States have been strained since the 1959 revolution that established communist rule on the island. 

Since taking office last year, the Trump administration has ramped up pressure to force political and economic change.

NNN-dpa