Heavy sanctions and fuel embargo policies imposed under the administration of US President Donald Trump have pushed Cuba deeper into an energy crisis, as widespread blackouts triggered major protests across Havana.

According to Reuters, protesters gathered in several neighborhoods of the Cuban capital, blocking roads, setting fire to piles of garbage and banging pots while chanting “Turn the lights on.”

The demonstrations were described as among the largest public protests seen since the country’s energy crisis sharply worsened.

The crisis deepened further after Washington tightened fuel restrictions on Cuba in January. The US administration threatened tariffs and sanctions against countries supplying fuel to the island, leading to a major disruption in oil shipments to Cuba.

Cuba’s Energy Ministry announced that the country’s diesel and fuel oil reserves had been completely depleted. In some regions, electricity cuts reportedly reached between 20 and 22 hours per day.

Havana resident Rodolfo Alonso stated that the situation was not political but humanitarian.

“There are elderly people in our neighborhood, food is spoiling. We only want electricity for a few hours,” he said.

Another protester, Irailda Bravo, said she had been unable to sleep for days because of the extreme heat and added that families with children were facing severe hardship.

United Nations experts also criticized the US fuel blockade policy, describing it as unlawful and warning that it undermines the Cuban people’s rights to food, healthcare, education and basic living conditions.

A UN report stressed that Washington’s energy pressure campaign directly affects millions of civilians across the island.

Analysts state that US sanctions have severely damaged not only Cuba’s energy infrastructure but also its tourism and transportation sectors.

The country’s power grid has previously suffered nationwide collapses that left millions without electricity, while tourism revenues have reportedly recorded historic declines.

Experts warn that increasing economic pressure on Cuba is turning into a form of collective punishment directly targeting the island’s population, raising concerns that protests in Havana could intensify further in the coming days.(ILKHA)