Cuban civilians are enduring prolonged electricity blackouts and severe food shortages across the island [1, 2, 3].

These systemic failures threaten the survival of vulnerable populations, particularly the elderly, and have triggered civil unrest in several municipalities as basic needs go unmet.

Reports indicate that almost the entire island was affected by a second massive nationwide blackout on Saturday, March 21, 2024 [3]. In Bayamo, a city of approximately 200,000 inhabitants [2], residents said electricity outages lasted up to 30 hours [2]. These outages have coincided with protests over the past two nights in the region [2].

The energy crisis is compounded by a critical scarcity of basic goods. Residents in Santiago de Cuba and Bayamo said there is a lack of meat, water, and refrigeration [1, 2]. The shortage is linked to an economic crisis and rationing cards that fail to provide enough food for the population [1, 2].

Elderly residents are among the hardest hit by the lack of refrigeration and reliable power [1]. The combination of hunger and darkness has increased the difficulty of securing daily necessities, a situation that has led to deepening desperation across the island [1, 2].

Local reports said the crisis is driven by a deepening energy failure and an inability to maintain the national power grid [1, 2]. While the government manages the distribution of goods through rationing, the current system does not meet the basic caloric or hydration requirements of the citizenry [1, 2].

“Residents in Bayamo reported electricity outages lasting up to 30 hours.”

The intersection of a collapsing energy grid and a failing food distribution system indicates a systemic humanitarian crisis in Cuba. When basic utilities like electricity and water fail alongside food rationing, the risk of social instability increases, as evidenced by the reported protests in Bayamo. This suggests that the current economic model is unable to sustain the island's most basic infrastructure.