Protests were reported in Cuba for the second consecutive day on Saturday night, primarily in various municipalities of Havana, where residents took to the streets with pots and pans to express their dissatisfaction with the prolonged power outages.
Videos and testimonies shared on social media show neighbors banging kitchen utensils and shouting slogans in the darkness caused by power outages. “This is over, damn...!” was heard from one neighbor in Guanabacoa.
The journalist Mario J. Pentón reported on social media about a protest in the municipality of Regla in Havana, where residents reportedly took to the streets to demonstrate after several days without electricity service.
Other reports published on social media mention demonstrations in Mulgoba, in the municipality of Boyeros. "In Mulgoba, the people also took to the streets with pots... the second day of protest in the capital," wrote activist Magdiel Jorge Castro on the social network X, who also shared a video he attributed to a protest in the municipality of El Cotorro.
For its part, a video published by the media Cubanet reported pot-banging protests in several municipalities of Havana, including Regla, San Miguel del Padrón, Guanabacoa, and Centro Habana, specifically on Belascoaín street.
The recordings showed groups of people banging pots and pans from the streets or from their homes, amidst a darkness that, although it seems to engulf the country, illuminates growing demonstrations of frustration with the situation.
The protests come just a day after reports of pot-banging in other areas of the capital and in Jagüey Grande, Matanzas, suggesting an increase in social unrest amid the energy crisis the country is facing.
Electricity crisis, fuel crisis, and political pressure
The protests are taking place against a backdrop of deep energy crisis on the island.
In recent days, Cuba experienced a nearly total collapse of the National Electric System (SEN), which left large areas of the country without electricity and forced authorities to begin a complex process of restoring the service.
Although state media reported that the system was gradually reconnected, the country continues to operate with a significant generation deficit.
In recent days, the shortfall has been close to or above 2,000 megawatts, necessitating prolonged blackouts across much of the territory and leaving two-thirds of users without service.
In numerous provinces, power outages can exceed 20 hours a day, according to official reports and testimonies from citizens, affecting not only households but also water supply, transportation, and food preservation. Localities across the country are experiencing continuous days of blackout.
The energy crisis is due to a combination of structural factors. Notable among them are the breakdowns in aging thermal power plants, a lack of maintenance in the generation system, and the scarcity of fuel to operate the power plants.
In the past year, moreover, oil imports to Cuba have experienced a significant decline, which limits the electrical system's capacity to meet national demand.
This situation has been exacerbated by the energy pressure exerted by the United States on the countries and companies that supply fuel to the Cuban regime.
On January 29, 2026, President Donald Trump signed an executive order designating the Cuban regime as an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the national security of the United States, a measure that enables economic sanctions aimed at restricting the supply of oil to the island.
At the same time, Cuban-American congress members and exile activists have insisted that increasing internal and external pressure could accelerate political changes in Cuba.
Legislators such as María Elvira Salazar, Mario Díaz-Balart, and Carlos Giménez have pointed out on various occasions that the regime is experiencing one of its weakest moments and have urged for increased political and economic pressure against the government of Havana.
In that context, some activists and sectors of the exile community have encouraged Cubans on the island to protest as a way to push for a political transition or force reforms.
So far, Cuban authorities have not made any public statements regarding the reports of protests occurring in various municipalities of Havana in recent hours.
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