Public Transport Redirected to Support Rally for Raúl Castro Amid Fuel Shortage

This past Friday, the Cuban government redirected numerous public buses to transport attendees to a rally at the Anti-Imperialist Platform José Martí, located in front of the U.S. Embassy in Havana. The gathering was organized in support of Raúl Castro, who faces charges from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Journalist Mag Jorge Castro highlighted the situation on X, noting, "The regime is reallocating public transport for the state-sponsored event prompted by Raúl Castro's indictment. Amidst a severe fuel crisis, numerous buses have filled the streets surrounding the U.S. Embassy."

The accompanying image displays a long line of blue buses parked along the streets near the American diplomatic mission, starkly contrasting with the usual immobilization suffered by Cuban public transportation.

Contradictions in the Midst of Crisis

Scheduled for 7:30 a.m., the event was organized by the Communist Youth Union and led by Miguel Díaz-Canel instead of Raúl Castro himself, whose absence was notably conspicuous.

The Cuban Communist Party shared the official call to action on X, describing the indictment as "a despicable and infamous act by the Department of Justice against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, a leader of the Cuban Revolution."

From the day prior, Díaz-Canel had been promoting the slogan: "The Army General is Cuba, and Cuba must be respected."

Severe Public Transport Limitations

It's a glaring contradiction: the regime allocated transportation resources for a political rally at a time when Cuba is enduring one of its most severe fuel shortages, crippling public services nationwide.

In January, the government admitted that public transport was meeting only 42% of its planned targets.

In Havana, the official entity Transportación Habana TH reported in February that "no services are available on any routes" due to the fuel deficit.

In Ciego de Ávila, only two out of 135 bus routes were operational in March, while interprovincial departures from Las Tunas were completely halted starting February 6th.

The Ministry of Transport announced further reductions on May 16th: starting June 18th, trips between the capital and provincial capitals will be reduced to three weekly, with routes like Manzanillo and Baracoa having just one weekly departure.

Forced Mobilizations and Political Gatherings

This redirection of buses for a political event fits a documented pattern of coerced mobilizations: since May 20th, the regime has also turned state workplaces into venues for rallies supporting Raúl Castro, with employees summoned during work hours.

The indictment that triggered this mobilization was filed on May 20th in Miami by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, following approval by a grand jury in the Southern District of Florida on April 23rd.

The charges accuse Raúl Castro—then Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces—of orchestrating the shootdown of two civilian aircraft from Brothers to the Rescue on February 24, 1996, resulting in the deaths of three Americans and a Cuban resident in the U.S.

Alongside Castro, five former Cuban military officers were indicted, with charges including conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens, four individual counts of murder, and destruction of civilian aircraft.

If found guilty, Castro could face life imprisonment or the death penalty; however, the case remains largely symbolic as Cuba is unlikely to extradite him.