Cuban President Addresses Economic Protest Concerns
Scant demonstrations have occurred in Cuba amidst the ongoing economic challenges facing the nation. President Miguel Diaz-Canal urged for tranquility on Monday following gatherings of hundreds of individuals in Santiago, the second-largest city in Cuba, protesting against electricity outages and scarcities of food the day before.
Videos circulating on social media depicted crowds in the communist-governed nation chanting slogans such as “Power and food.” Diaz-Canal attributed the unrest to provocations from the United States, leading his government to summon the US’s top diplomat to Cuba for a meeting on Monday.
A surge in blackouts across Cuba has resulted in power being unavailable for as long as 18 hours or more per day. Consequently, this has endangered both food supplies and economic activity in the financially strained country.
Cuba is grappling with its most severe economic downturn in decades, partly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which drastically reduced the influx of vital tourism revenue. Furthermore, the country’s economy has long been hindered by US trade embargoes and recent sanctions imposed during Donald Trump’s presidency. Diaz-Canal emphasized the importance of dialogue and “peace.”
“In response to recent events, numerous individuals have voiced their discontent regarding the state of electrical service and food distribution,” he stated on X.
Varias personas han expresado su inconformidad con la situación del servicio eléctrico y la distribución de alimentos.
Este contexto se intenta aprovechar por los enemigos de la Revolución, con fines desestabilizadores.
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) March 18, 2024
Diaz-Canel Blames US ‘Enemies’ for Protests, US Denies Involvement
He further added, “The authorities of the party, the state, and the government are committed to addressing the grievances of our citizens, listening to their concerns, engaging in dialogue, and elucidating the numerous initiatives underway to ameliorate the situation, all within an atmosphere of calmness and serenity.”
The president attributed the protests to “enemies” of the government and labeled them as “mediocre politicians and terrorists” in the US, accusing them of attempting to manipulate the demonstrations. Vedant Patel, a spokesperson for the US State Department, vehemently refuted these claims during a press briefing on Monday.
“The United States categorically denies any involvement in the protests in Cuba, and such accusations are baseless,” stated Patel.
Simultaneously, the US embassy in Havana reported on X that it had received notifications of protests occurring in Bayamo, Granma, and other areas .The statement urged the Cuban government to The message emphasized the importance of the Cuban government safeguarding the human rights of the protesters and meeting the genuine needs of the Cuban populace.
We’re seeing a five-hour dip in traffic to #Cuba coinciding with reports of a disruption in mobile service following protests in Santiago de Cuba earlier today.
Dip in traffic begins at 19:20 UTC (3:20pm ET) and lasted until 00:30 UTC (8:30pm ET). pic.twitter.com/hXAlmwswm3
— Doug Madory (@DougMadory) March 18, 2024
US Economic Embargo Continues to Impact Cuba
In Santiago, the protests unfolded peacefully, with demonstrators chanting slogans such as “Down with communism. Down with Diaz-Canal.” Social media videos depicted no evidence of altercations or arrests. Notably, a significant presence of state security forces was observed at the scene. Nevertheless, according to certain reports, internet services experienced an outage from late Sunday until early Monday.
In July 2021, Havana responded forcefully to significant protests, marking the most extensive demonstrations witnessed in Cuba since Fidel Castro’s revolution in 1959. The international community criticized the government’s response.
Since 1960, the United States has upheld an economic embargo on Cuba, limiting trade between the two nations. In February, Cuba made an unprecedented move by reaching out to the UN’s World Food Programme for assistance in providing milk to children, as reported by the organization.
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