Since the Donald Trump administration cut off Cuba's long-time oil sugar daddy, Venezuela, the Cuban regime has been in a bit of a panic, and the country's infrastructure is deteriorating faster than it already was. It sounds like it's about to get a lot worse.
As Venezuela's handouts have dwindled in recent years due to its own economic crisis and the collapse of PDVSA, its state-run oil company, Mexico began sending oil to Cuba in 2023. Last year, Mexico actually became Cuba's largest oil supplier, but it was only supplying a fraction of what the country needs to stay afloat. Narco-President Claudia Sheinbaum called it a humanitarian gesture, but the United States has been applying more and more pressure, trying to get her to stop. Initially, when the Venezuelan pipeline was cut, she said she wouldn't stop but she wouldn't increase the amount she sends, either.
Apparently, the Trump administration finally got to her. Recently, Pemex, Mexico's state oil company, reportedly removed this month's shipment from its schedule, according to Bloomberg. It says that the shipment was supposed to go out in mid-January and arrive by the end of the month.
There's been no explanation for the sudden change, and when asked about it on Tuesday, Sheinbaum said, "The decision of when [oil] is sent and how it is sent is a sovereign decision, and it is determined by Pemex based on the contracts — or, in any case, by the government, as a humanitarian decision to send it under certain circumstances."
As I reported on Saturday, Cuba had supposedly reached out to Africa for help, and, for a moment, it looked like it was coming. The Mia Grace, a vessel sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands, had departed Togo and was heading for Havana. Satellite imagery showed a last-minute change in plans, and it re-routed toward the Dominican Republic. I can't find any more recent updates, but it's not clear whether it'll make it to Cuba or why it changed its path. The most likely speculation is U.S. pressure.
Related: Cuba by December?
Blackouts have been the norm for the country for a while, but they're getting worse — they're more frequent, and they last longer.
State TV describes the situation to viewers — the viewers who have electricity and can actually watch — as "complex and difficult." The regime doesn't admit that the lack of oil is a major cause of the problem. According to Ciber Cuba:
The Cuban regime is unable to stabilize the electrical system despite announcements of new renewable sources being incorporated and repairs to thermoelectric plants. Frequent breakdowns, the aging of the energy infrastructure, and a lack of fuel have turned power outages into a chronic phenomenon impacting daily life, the economy, and basic services across the island.
In the meantime, the population faces each day with uncertainty, dealing with prolonged outages, food loss, and difficulties with transportation and communications. Despite official statements, there are no clear signs of a sustained recovery of the power grid in the short term.
Much of the country was without power on Monday, including Havana, which suffered a 20-hour blackout. That's rolling off blackouts, which lasted over 20 hours, through the weekend.
The country's citizens are growing exhausted and impatient, and they're speaking out publicly. Ciber Cuba highlighted this woman, Elizabeth González Aznar's, social media post as the voice of a nation fed up:
Cuban leaders, when do you come out to speak to the people? We live, or rather, we survive, in precarious conditions, and not a word is uttered. What are you thinking? The bottled gas service has disappeared, and no one explains anything. Blackouts now last more than 10 hours at key times for preparing food. So when does O'Levy come out, not to give justifications, but to say what he thinks and how he expects us to feed ourselves? The water service is precarious. San Agustín Lisa has been without water for 22 days now, with justifications from the municipality and province — three different ones in this time. Water trucks arrive every 10 days if you complain; otherwise, it's pointless. There's no shame. When will Comrade Chapman tell the people how they think we can live without water? The sanitary conditions are appalling; we are surrounded by garbage, dumps, and open pits everywhere, and no one cares. How many children have died from arboviruses originating from the proliferation of vectors that come from this terrible communal hygiene? None of the leaders' families. Doesn't it hurt? How many more must die? Food and medicine are still out in the open, a law of the jungle, in this case, the one with the most money, and it's not the workers and retirees who are going hungry today, and nobody cares. How many Cubans are facing illnesses today without being able to afford even an antipyretic, a pain reliever, or a packet of rehydration salts? How long will this go on? This nation can't take it anymore, and where are you?
There have been reports that the Trump administration plans to oust the Cuban regime by the end of the year, but at this rate, I'm not sure the people can wait that long.
Donald Trump has revived the Monroe Doctrine, and it's looking increasingly likely that a free Cuba could be a result of that. The MSM won't cover it — that'd mean giving the president credit — but we will keep you up to date on what's really happening there and throughout the Western Hemisphere.
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