Cuba suffers third nationwide blackout in six months amid fuel crisis

Cuba experienced its third nationwide blackout since the start of the year on Monday, leaving the island's 9.6 million inhabitants without power and deepening a crisis fueled by a US blockade on oil supplies Source: CNASource: SCMP.

Key details:

• The blackout, the eighth since late 2024, was announced by state electricity company Union Electrica (UNE) as a "total disconnection" at midday Source: CNA.
• Power was restored to over 30% of Havana by Tuesday, including 43 medical centers and nine water installations Source: CNA.
• Lazaro Guerra, director of electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, stated that a lack of fuel "undoubtedly complicates the restoration process" without providing a timeline Source: CNASource: SCMP.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel directly blamed US sanctions, calling the situation a "genocidal energy blockade" and praising electrical workers Source: CNA. Residents expressed despair, with one Havana resident noting that her neighborhood had been surviving on just three or four hours of power daily, and the blackout made it worse Source: CNA.