US Sanctions Trigger Nationwide Blackout in Cuba

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Cuba‘s national electricity company reported a nationwide blackout across the country on Tuesday night. The company, Union Eléctrica, announced a “complete failure” in the national grid, which has left the entire nation, including the capital Havana, without power. This widespread outage is attributed to an “oppressive oil blockade” imposed by the United States.

Cuba has been grappling with an economic crisis for the past five years, described as the worst in decades. This crisis has been exacerbated by an oil blockade implemented by then-U.S. President Donald Trump in January of that year. Since the commencement of this oil blockade, the frequency of power outages has accelerated due to difficulties in supplying fuel, typically diesel, for power plants and backup generators.

Western Cuba had also experienced a blackout on Saturday afternoon, with electricity service being restored on Sunday morning after repairs to a series of extensive network failures. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel recently emphasized that his country is facing a new historical battle. He stated that the economic pressures on Cuba are part of ongoing efforts to weaken the nation’s sovereignty and seize control through blockade and sanctions.

He further added that U.S. sanctions are a planned policy to exert economic pressure on Cuba, aiming to incite internal unrest and alter the political system.