In the last three months, residents of Cuba have faced constant and growing blackouts. The country's president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, warned that his administration will not tolerate violations of public order on the island.
"In the current situation, when Cuba is facing the worst energy crisis in the last 30 years, residents took to the streets in the suburbs in an attempt to breach public order," Díaz-Canel stated, dressed in military attire during a televised appearance.
Last Thursday, the energy deficit in the country reached 50%, compared to previous 30%, which caused anger among the population. In recent weeks, blackouts with electric outages have lasted more than 20 hours a day in many regions and to practically complete absence of light across the country last Friday.
Witnesses reported that residents of Havana went out into the streets to express their dissatisfaction. One woman from the Santo Suárez area reported that "people are making noise outside, banging on pots and pans and shouting (turn on the light)."
A representative of the Cuban authorities confirmed that all those involved in the disturbances will be tried "strictly in accordance with the revolutionary laws," noting that many of them acted "on the instructions of foreign counter-revolutionaries."
