Cubans in eastern city of Santiago protest blackouts and food shortages

This news has been read 340 times!

HAVANA, March 18, (AP): Small groups of protesters took to the streets in the eastern city of Santiago on Sunday, decrying power outages lasting up to eight hours and food shortages across Cuba.
Videos on social media showed demonstrators on the outskirts of the city, which is about 800 kilometers (500 miles) from Havana.
State media confirmed the protests in Santiago, while the US Embassy in Havana said there were also reports of protests in a number of other provinces across the island. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel also referred to protests in a social media post, though he did not specify where they occurred.
In reporting on events in Santiago, the government-linked news organization El Necio said, “Due to the long hours of power outages from lack of fuel and other situations arising from the current economic crisis, several people took to the streets” to protest.
Cuba is facing one of the worst economic and energy crises in its history. Waves of blackouts have grown worse in recent weeks, adding to frustrations over food shortages and inflation that have made it increasingly difficult to make ends meet on the communist-governed island. Hundreds of thousands of people have migrated, with many headed to the United States.
Videos showing people chanting “Electricity and food” were quickly shared by Cubans on and off the island on platforms like X and Facebook.
One person, who spoke to The Associated Press in a phone call from Santiago on condition their name not be used, said internet service in the area was shut off after the demonstrations. Several users on the social network X also reported internet outages in Santiago.
In recent years, the internet has become an important tool in Cuba to facilitate and distribute news of protests against the government, but it has also been used to spread false information about supposed protests.

This news has been read 340 times!