Breakdown: Cuban president warns against any “disturbance to public order”

The President of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, warned Sunday evening that his government would not tolerate disturbances of public order on the island affected by a giant electricity blackout that the authorities are struggling to resolve.

The island’s 10 million residents are spending their third night without power due to a breakdown on Friday in the country’s main thermoelectric power plant, which led to a complete shutdown of the network.

While the government said it hoped to restore electricity Monday evening, the head of state warned that his government would not tolerate unrest.

Dressed in a military uniform, he affirmed, during a meeting broadcast by the television news, that residents had gone out on Saturday evening to try to cause disturbances to public order.

All perpetrators of trouble will be prosecuted with the severity that the revolutionary laws providehe insisted.

Mr Diaz-Canel said many of these people were acting under the direction of the operators of the Cuban counter-revolution from abroad.

Power outages were one of the triggers for the historic protests of July 11, 2021.

Discontent

On Sunday evening, residents took to the streets in several neighborhoods of Havana to express their discontent, according to AFP photographers.

Dozens of people, including women with children in their arms, came out with pots and pans in the Santo Suarez neighborhood, shouting Turn on the light.

Waste barricades were also erected in the Centro district.

On social networks, Internet users posted videos reporting a demonstration in Manicaragua (center) but theAFP could not verify their authenticity.

Hurricane Oscar becomes a tropical storm

Small relief for residents already hard hit: Hurricane Oscar was downgraded overnight from Sunday to Monday to a tropical storm by the American Hurricane Center (NHC).

Oscar made landfall on Sunday evening in eastern Cuba, then a category 1 hurricane, with winds approaching 130 km/h, according to the NHC. It fell near the town of Baracoa.

There, waves reached up to four meters high on the seafront. Roofs and walls of houses were damaged, electricity poles and trees fell, state television said.

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In his speech, President Diaz-Canel acknowledged that the situation of the electricity system remained complexmarked by a strong instability.

Earlier in the day, Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said: We can say that between tomorrow Monday morning, afternoon or eveningservice will be restored for the majority of Cubans.

A few hundred thousand residents were able to benefit from a few hours of power on Sunday, before the entire electricity system was paralyzed again, according to the national electricity company (UNE).

Authorities suspended classes and essential professional activities until Wednesday, with only hospitals and essential services for the population remaining operational.

Worst crisis in 30 years

Cuba is facing its worst crisis in thirty years. The giant power outage, which follows chronic blackouts, adds to shortages of food, medicine and galloping inflation.

Cubans are tired of so many thingslaments Serguei Castillo, a 68-year-old bricklayer. There is no life here, this country can’t take it anymorehe adds angrily, specifying that for two days, he has not only feeds kibble, pizza and other junk.

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My fridge hasn’t worked for three days and I’m afraid everything will be destroyedalso laments Adismary Cuza, a 56-year-old worker.

Thursday, on the eve of the general blackout, the Cuban president announced that the island was in a situation ofenergy emergency faced with difficulties in purchasing the fuel necessary to power its power stations, due to the strengthening of the embargo imposed by Washington since 1962.

In Cuba, electricity is produced by eight dilapidated thermoelectric power plants, sometimes broken down or under maintenance, as well as several floating power plants leased to Turkish companies, and generators.

In September 2022, the island had already experienced a widespread blackout after the passage of Hurricane Ian which hit the west of the island. Full restoration of electricity took several days in Havana, causing sporadic demonstrations in different neighborhoods.

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