For Ana Rosa Romero, a widow in her 70s living on the 11th floor of Havana’s Granma Dos high-rise, the latest blackouts have become a matter of life and death. When her husband died earlier this month, the prolonged power failure in her neighborhood meant she sat with him for hours in the dark before help arrived—he died shortly after in hospital. Her story reflects the escalating humanitarian crisis gripping Cuba, where near-total blackouts, fuel shortages, and a US-imposed energy blockade have pushed the island’s fragile infrastructure to the brink.
A nation in the dark: 20-hour outages and the collapse of daily life
Cuba has faced two island-wide blackouts in 2026 alone, the most recent in March, leaving nearly 10 million residents without power for days at a time. In Havana, outages now last up to 15 hours daily, while rural areas endure full-day blackouts, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting from Havana. The crisis has crippled essential services: hospitals are limiting surgeries to non-emergency cases, public transport has been reduced to skeleton services, and garbage piles up in Havana as rubbish trucks run out of fuel. Residents like Romero have resorted to wood fires for cooking and heating water, while hospitals struggle to maintain critical operations, with the Ministry of Public Health reporting a 40% reduction in elective procedures since January.
Cuba’s Energy Crisis: The US Blockade and Collapsing Infrastructure
The immediate cause is a de facto US oil blockade, which severed fuel shipments from Cuba’s ally Venezuela in January. On January 11, US President Donald Trump announced no further oil or funding would reach Cuba, following a military operation in Venezuela that removed President Nicolás Maduro’s government. A week later, on January 29, Trump issued Executive Order 14523, threatening tariffs of up to 35% on any country supplying Cuba with fuel or petroleum products. The only relief came on March 19, when a Russian tanker, the MV Akademik Chersky, delivered 730,000 barrels of oil—a drop in the bucket for an island that relies entirely on imports to power its grid. The shipment was arranged through direct negotiations between Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Trade and the Russian state-owned company Rosneft, according to a statement from Cuba’s Energy Minister Rafael Morales.
Humanitarian Fallout: Rotational Blackouts and Medical Emergencies
Analysts blame both US policy and Cuba’s aging power infrastructure, which has deteriorated under decades of economic strain. The blackouts have triggered a humanitarian warning from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which issued a statement on March 22 calling the crisis “one of the most severe in the region’s recent history.” The full extent of the crisis remains unclear as communication networks falter, but the Cuban Red Cross reported a 30% increase in emergency calls related to power outages in the first quarter of 2026.
In response to the blackouts, Cuba’s government has implemented a rotational power rationing system, dividing Havana into six zones with staggered outage schedules. However, the system has proven ineffective in rural areas, where over 60% of the population lacks access to backup generators, according to a March 15 report from Cuba’s National Statistics Office (ONE). The Ministry of Health has also issued guidelines limiting non-emergency medical procedures to conserve oxygen supplies, which are now being rationed in hospitals across the country.
US Military Threats and Cuba’s Political Turmoil
Meanwhile, the Cuban government has accused the US of economic warfare, with Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez stating in a March 20 press conference that the blockade constitutes a “violation of international law.” Rodríguez called on the international community to condemn what he described as “a deliberate attempt to destabilize Cuba’s sovereignty.” The US State Department, however, dismissed the claims, with spokesperson Ned Price stating in a March 21 briefing that the measures were “necessary to prevent Cuba from supporting hostile regimes in the region.”
US pressure and the threat of invasion: Why Cuba’s leadership is on edge
Trump’s rhetoric has ratcheted up tensions to a breaking point. In late March, he hinted at a potential military strike during a speech in Miami, declaring, “Cuba is next after what we’ve done in Venezuela and Iran. The era of patience with communist regimes is over.” His comments have fueled fears of US intervention, prompting Cuba to prepare for possible conflict. CNN’s Patrick Oppmann reported this month that residents in Havana are growing increasingly restless, with some fearing an imminent invasion. The Cuban government has denied preparing for war but has increased military patrols along the coast and in Havana, according to a May 10 statement from the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR).
Leadership Under Siege: Díaz-Canel’s Failing Approval and Castro’s Legal Shadow
The political fallout is already underway. Raúl Castro, Cuba’s longtime leader and brother of Fidel Castro, was recently charged in an unspecified legal proceeding by the Cuban judiciary, though details remain classified due to the blackouts. The charges come as President Miguel Díaz-Canel faces mounting pressure to address the crisis, with questions swirling over whether he can survive politically. Díaz-Canel addressed the nation in a March 25 televised speech, acknowledging the severity of the crisis but offering no concrete solutions beyond calls for “national unity.” His approval ratings have plummeted, with a recent internal poll by the Communist Party’s Commission for the Implementation of Economic and Social Policy (CIEPES) suggesting support has dropped to 38%, down from 52% in January.
For now, Cuba’s leadership remains in place, but the economic and energy collapse has exposed deep vulnerabilities. The US blockade has effectively choked off Cuba’s ability to import fuel, leaving hospitals, schools, and homes in the dark. With no immediate resolution in sight, the island’s 11 million people are left in a state of constant uncertainty—and for high-rise residents like Ana Rosa Romero, every blackout brings the risk of irreversible loss.
Diplomatic efforts have stalled, with the most recent talks between US and Cuban officials taking place in Havana on May 15, according to a statement from Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The meeting, which lasted less than two hours, was described as “exploratory” and focused on humanitarian concerns rather than the blockade. The US delegation, led by Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols, reiterated Washington’s stance that Cuba must “end its support for authoritarian regimes” before any easing of restrictions. Cuba’s representatives, including Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío, countered that the blockade was the primary obstacle to stability.
The situation has also drawn international condemnation. The United Nations General Assembly is expected to vote on a resolution condemning the US blockade in September, following a similar vote in 2025 that saw 187 countries in favor. Meanwhile, regional allies like Venezuela and Nicaragua have offered limited support, with Venezuelan President Juan Guaidó—now recognized by the US as the legitimate leader—warning that any fuel shipments to Cuba would be seen as “aiding a hostile regime.” Russia, however, has signaled continued support, with President Vladimir Putin stating in a May 20 call with Díaz-Canel that Moscow would “stand by Cuba’s right to self-defense and economic sovereignty.”
What comes next?
The US has shown no signs of easing its blockade, and Cuba’s fuel reserves are dwindling. Without a breakthrough—whether through diplomatic talks, new oil shipments, or a shift in US policy—the blackouts will likely persist, deepening the humanitarian toll. For now, the only certainty is darkness. The Cuban government has begun exploring alternative energy sources, including solar and wind projects, but experts estimate it will take at least five years to restore even partial grid reliability. Meanwhile, the UN’s World Food Programme has warned of a 40% increase in food insecurity due to disrupted supply chains, compounding the energy crisis.
In Havana, Ana Rosa Romero continues to navigate the blackouts, now relying on a neighbor’s generator for limited electricity. She fears the next outage could be her last. “We are living in the dark, but we are not alone,” she said in a May 20 interview with Al Jazeera. “The question is, how much longer can we hold on?”
