Hundreds of people in Cuba’s second-largest city, Santiago, staged a rare public protest on Sunday over chronic power blackouts and food shortages.The island is facing its worst economic crisis for three decades, with large parts of Cuba being left without power for more than 14 hours a day.
Videos on social media show people chanting “power and food”.
Its president blames the situation on US sanctions, but critics say it is down to government mismanagement.Since 1960, the US has maintained an economic embargo against Cuba which puts strict rules on trade between the countries.
The economy in Cuba, a communist-run island with a population of about 11 million, has been in dire straits in recent years. The coronavirus pandemic put further strain on the cash-strapped nation, which has led to vast shortages of food, fuel and medicine.
In February, the government asked the UN’s food programme for help with food shortages, sending an unprecedented request for assistance in providing powdered milk to children under the age of seven.
Credit: bbc.com
