On Sunday, President Miguel Diaz-Canel denounced that the enemies of the Cuban Revolution are attempting to destabilize his country by exploiting the shortages caused by the U.S. economic, commercial, and financial blockade.
RELATED:
Cuban President Meets With Arab & Islamic Ambassadors in Havana
Through his account on X, he referred to the acts of discontent that occurred in different parts of the country, where groups of citizens expressed their concern about the deficit of energy and food that the Caribbean country faces.
"Amid a blockade that aims to suffocate us, we will continue working peacefully to overcome this situation. The willingness of the authorities of the Party, the State, and the Government is to address the demands of our people, listen, dialogue, and explain the numerous efforts being made to improve the situation, always in an environment of tranquility," Diaz-Canel said.
Previously, his administration denounced that U.S.-based terrorists were promoting violent actions against internal order. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez blamed the United States for the acute situation weighing on the majority of Cubans.
On Sunday, citizens held a peaceful demonstration to demand electricity and food in front of the District 3 headquarters in the municipality of Santiago de Cuba.
Their complaints were focused on the imbalance of electricity supply blocks and the distribution of milk. They were attended by senior officials such as Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, the first secretary of the Communist Party in Santiago de Cuba.
She explained to the citizens that the Cuban government is currently distributing a portion of the basic food basket, which includes various products at highly subsidized prices.
However, due to the lack of foreign currency and other limitations stemming from the U.S. blockade, many foods from the basic basket cannot currently be produced.
On Saturday, Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy reported that the deficit of diesel and fuel oil has been causing significant disruptions to the provision of electricity, which has negatively impacted several economic sectors. In the coming days, the energy deficit will persist as the country still does not have enough fuel oil.
On March 18, the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, which generates electricity with Cuban oil, will be synchronized with the national energy system and will reach a capacity of 280 MW. Subsequently, 40,000 tons of diesel will arrive in the country to ensure energy provision during the population's rest hours.
The Energy Minister also pointed out that Cuba will continue to negotiate with different suppliers to secure new fuel supplies despite the shortage of foreign currency.
In previous statements, Foreign Minister Rodriguez explained that the United States is pressuring fuel-producing and distributing companies, as well as shipping and financial companies, not to provide services to Cuba.