Anger Boils Over in Cuba as a Third National Blackout Plunges Whole Cities Into Darkness Furious residents banged pots and set rubbish alight across Cuba after the island suffered its third nationwide power cut of the year. The government blames tight US sanctions and an oil blockade, while Washington points the finger back at Havana. Frustration in Cuba spilled onto the streets on Tuesday evening after the island endured its third nationwide power cut of the year. In several places across the country, angry residents stepped outside and began banging pots to make their fury heard, while others set rubbish on fire in the road. Their target was the latest blackout, which had once again left much of the nation in the dark. Rare Protests in a Country Where Dissent Carries a Heavy Price Cuba is a Communist-run state, and openly criticising the government often comes at the cost of a long prison sentence. Even so, in the areas hit hardest by the outages, people came out on their own, without any organised leadership, to vent their anger. That is precisely what makes these demonstrations remarkable, because showing open discontent here is considered a serious risk. The country is grappling with severe fuel shortages, a crisis that tight US sanctions and an effective US oil blockade have made far worse. The situation is so difficult that even those who own generators frequently lack the fuel to run them when the electricity fails. As a result, the moment the power goes, their homes go dark too. Power Restored in Most Areas, but Some Streets Stayed Dark Cuban officials said on Tuesday that electricity had been restored across most of the country. Yet in the places still without power, locals were shouting, turn on the lights! Monday's nationwide failure was the third such incident this year. It came on top of the planned, rolling electricity cuts that the state itself imposes to conserve what little fuel remains. Some rural areas are left in darkness for as long as 70 hours at a stretch, while urban zones have faced scheduled outages of up to 30 hours. The state electricity company did not explain what had caused this latest unplanned failure. Santiago de Cuba, the country's second-largest city, was among the places where power had still not returned by Tuesday evening local time. The President Admits Discontent Is Spreading Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has himself acknowledged the growing frustration among the population. Speaking to reporters, he said, there are shortages of transport, food, medicines, there are lengthy power cuts lasting more than 20 hours, that causes dissatisfaction, nobody can be happy, the people are suffering. He made the remarks to journalists from Claridad, a Spanish-language weekly newspaper based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The president, however, urged Cubans to aim their anger at the US government rather than his own. People bang pots, some with more anger than others, he said. I say: direct your pot-banging towards our northern neighbours, who are the ones behind these power cuts. Washington Lays the Blame on Havana The US Ambassador to the United Nations, Michael Waltz, placed the responsibility squarely on the Cuban government. Speaking at a meeting of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, he urged the government to change its ways and turn the lights back on for its people. He added, pointedly, that there always seems to be enough power for the Cuban dictatorship. In response, Cuba's foreign minister, Bruno Rodríguez, accused the United States of waging multi-dimensional, non-conventional warfare against Cuba. According to him, that campaign has become ever more cruel over the last seven months. Decades of Tension, Deepening Sharply This Year Relations between the United States and Cuba have been strained for decades, but they have deteriorated rapidly since the start of the year. That was when US President Donald Trump accused the island's government of posing a threat to the national security of the United States. In January, US forces seized former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a close ally of the Cuban government. Shortly afterwards, Trump openly mused that Cuba was ready to fall. Since then, the Trump administration has imposed fresh sanctions on Cuba and enforced an effective blockade on oil shipments to the island. It has also threatened to slap tariffs on any country that supplies Cuba with fuel. On top of that, the US has levelled murder charges against Cuba's former president, Raúl Castro, who remains an influential figure on the island despite being 95 years old. Public Insults, Private Talks Interestingly, despite trading sharp barbs in public, the two countries have quietly been holding talks over recent weeks. Cuba's foreign minister said on Tuesday that those discussions show no progress. Even so, he left the door open to dialogue based on mutual respect and non-interference in Cuba's internal affairs. What this means for you • For Cubans: With blackouts lasting up to 70 hours in rural areas and 30 hours in cities, everyday life, food, medicine and transport are all being severely disrupted. • For the wider world: The deepening US-Cuba standoff and the oil blockade signal that the island's economic and humanitarian crisis is unlikely to ease any time soon. Questions & Answers 1. Why are people protesting in Cuba? They are furious over the third nationwide power cut of the year. In several areas, residents banged pots and set rubbish on fire in the street to show their anger. 2. How significant is this blackout for the year? Monday's nationwide outage was the third such major incident this year, and it came on top of the planned, rolling cuts already in place. 3. How long do the power cuts last? Some rural areas are left dark for up to 70 hours at a time, while urban areas face planned outages of up to 30 hours. 4. Who does the Cuban government blame? President Miguel Díaz-Canel blamed the US government and urged Cubans to direct their anger towards their northern neighbours instead of his administration. 5. What does the United States say? US Ambassador to the UN Michael Waltz placed the blame on the Cuban government, telling it to change its ways and turn the lights back on for its people. 6. What is the main cause of the power crisis? The country faces severe fuel shortages, worsened by US sanctions and an oil blockade, so even those with generators often cannot run them. 7. Which city was slowest to get power back? Santiago de Cuba, the country's second-largest city, was among the places where power had still not returned by Tuesday evening local time. 8. Are the US and Cuba talking to each other? Despite public insults, the two countries have quietly held talks in recent weeks, though Cuba's foreign minister said they show no progress. https://trendkia.com/en/latin-america/pure-cuba-men-phira-batti-gula-gussae-loga-bartana-pitate-aura-kura-jalate-sarakon-para-utare-5790 TrendKia — Har trend, sabse pehle.