Residents of Loma de la Pela in Guanabacoa, a municipality near Havana, staged a loud protest on Thursday night, banging pots and pans in response to the ongoing power outages plaguing their area. The demonstration was captured on video and shared on Facebook by journalist José Raúl Gallego.
The protesters, hailing from the Barreras neighborhood, gathered and marched to a local park, adding to a growing list of similar demonstrations in Havana's outskirts, where electricity has been absent for four consecutive days.
A participant in the protest informed Gallego that State Security agents and local leaders were present at the scene. Their objective was to persuade the demonstrators to return home, offering assurances that "electricity would be restored by Saturday."
This scenario has become all too common in Guanabacoa. The municipality has witnessed several such protests in July alone. On July 11, residents of the Reparto Nalón district took to the streets after enduring more than 33 hours without power, coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the July 11 protests, chanting slogans like "We don't want power, we want freedom."
Earlier, on July 8, citizens from La Hata also engaged in a pot-banging protest during a 24-hour blackout, shouting "Freedom!" and "Down with the dictatorship!"
A previous protest in the Barreras area occurred in November 2024, driven by similar grievances.
The energy crisis fueling these protests is severe. On Thursday, Cuba faced another day of widespread power failures, with a shortfall of 2,240 MW, accounting for 69% of the country's total demand, while only 990 MW were available against the required 3,200 MW.
This situation unfolded just 48 hours after the fifth total collapse of the National Electric System in 2026, which occurred on July 14, marking the tenth such incident in 24 months. In some parts of Havana, power outages have lasted over 35 consecutive hours.
The regime's response to these protests follows a well-documented pattern: combine promises of restoring service—which are often unmet—with repression.
In June 2026, State Security agents threatened an activist with a bullet to the head if they organized any pot-banging protests for July 11. That month, Cubalex recorded a record 253 protests and 319 repressive events across the island.
The promise of power restoration by Saturday, made by regime officials to the Barreras protesters, is a familiar tactic: offering a temporary concession to quell the protest without any guarantee of fulfillment or a structural solution to the long-standing energy crisis that has been deteriorating Cubans' daily lives.
Understanding the Energy Crisis and Protests in Cuba
What sparked the latest protests in Guanabacoa?
The latest protests in Guanabacoa were sparked by prolonged power outages, with residents expressing their frustration over the lack of electricity for four days.
How has the Cuban government responded to these protests?
The Cuban government has responded to the protests with promises of restoring power and attempts to disperse demonstrators, often using repressive measures to suppress dissent.
What is the current state of Cuba's energy crisis?
Cuba is experiencing a severe energy crisis, with a significant deficit in power supply that fails to meet the country's demands, leading to frequent and prolonged blackouts.