Cuba has completely exhausted its reserves of diesel and fuel oil, according to Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy, as a United States blockade cripples the island's access to critical resources. In an interview with state-run media, de la O Levy stated that the nation possesses no fuel oil, no diesel, and that the national grid is in a critical condition with zero energy reserves.
Havana Plunged into Darkness
The capital city of Havana is enduring its most severe rolling blackouts in decades, prompting large-scale protests on Wednesday evening. These demonstrations marked the largest night of unrest since the energy crisis began. Hundreds of angry residents filled the streets, blocking roads with burning piles of rubbish and chanting slogans such as "Turn on the lights!" and "The people, united, will never be defeated!"
Blackouts have worsened significantly since Donald Trump assumed office for his second term in January and imposed a blockade on Cuba. According to de la O Levy, parts of Havana are experiencing power outages lasting between 20 and 22 hours daily. The US president has openly expressed his intention to oust the island's communist-run government and has threatened tariffs on any country that supplies Cuba with fuel.
US Aid Offer Rejected
The United States has offered $100 million (£74 million) in aid to Cuba in exchange for "meaningful reforms to Cuba's communist system", but the offer has been declined. De la O Levy emphasized the dire situation: "The sum of the different types of fuel: crude oil, fuel oil, of which we have absolutely none; diesel, of which we have absolutely none - I am being repetitive - the only thing we have is gas from our wells, where production has grown."
Rodolfo Alonso, a Havana resident protesting in the Playa neighbourhood, which endured over 40 hours without electricity, reported that elderly people in his community are suffering and food is spoiling. "We started banging pots to see if they'd give us just three hours of electricity. That's all we want. This isn't a political problem," he said.
Regional Fuel Supplies Halted
Neither Mexico nor Venezuela, once top suppliers of oil to Cuba, have sent fuel to the island since Trump's tariff threat. Only a single large oil tanker, the Russian-flagged Anatoly Kolodkin, has delivered crude oil to Cuba since December, providing temporary relief in April.
The renewed power cuts come as the US blockade on fuel imports enters its fourth month, crippling public services across the Caribbean island of nearly 10 million people. The United Nations last week called Trump's fuel blockade unlawful, stating it had obstructed the "Cuban people's right to development while undermining their rights to food, education, health, and water and sanitation."
