Cuba's national power grid has collapsed, leaving the entire country of about 10 million without power, according to the Union Nacional Electrica de Cuba (UNE).
The state-owned company said it was working to restore electricity flows and investigating what caused the “complete shutdown of the national grid”.
The collapse on Monday is the latest development in the ongoing United States-imposed oil blockade on the island nation, which has not received oil shipments since early January.
Oil Blockade Impact
The US pressure campaign has worsened the humanitarian crisis on the island, with no oil imported to Cuba since January 9, and the government of Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez agreeing to stifle oil shipments to Cuba.
US President Donald Trump has threatened other countries, notably Mexico, with sanctions if they delivered fuel to the island, which relies almost solely on oil imports.
President Miguel Diaz-Canel confirmed last week that his government had held talks with the Trump administration, while Trump said on Sunday that Cuba “wants to make a deal”.
Humanitarian Crisis
The US actions have further strained Cuba’s years-long economic woes, causing a humanitarian crisis amid widespread shortages of fuel, food and medicine.
The conditions have fomented rare public unrest on the island, with protesters torching a Communist Party office over the weekend.
Authorities said the blackout has affected the entire country, with the Union Nacional Electrica de Cuba working to restore power as soon as possible.
Source: Al Jazeera
