Residents of San Miguel del Padrón, a municipality in the east of Havana, staged a pot-banging protest this Wednesday in front of the municipal government headquarters, demanding electricity and food with the slogan "Electricity and food!" after consecutive days without power.
Journalist Mario J. Pentón shared real-time images of the demonstration, while La Tijera News described it as "a strong pot-banging protest in broad daylight in front of the Government headquarters of that capital municipality."
According to La Tijera News, "the lack of electricity, hunger, food shortages, and absence of basic necessities continue to drive the Cuban people onto the streets to demand solutions."
"Residents of the area report that desperation grows every day as living conditions continue to deteriorate amidst constant blackouts and a deep economic crisis," stated La Tijera News.
The protest in San Miguel del Padrón adds to a wave of demonstrations that has shaken Havana for several days.
On Tuesday night, a cacerolazo erupted in Reparto Bahía with chants of "Down with the dictatorship!", and in the early hours of Wednesday residents of Marianao took to the streets with bonfires and burning trash.
Last Monday, residents of Luyanó blocked Calzada de Concha in protest against the blackouts, and this Wednesday they woke up to graffiti with "Patria y Vida" and messages against Díaz-Canel painted on electrical infrastructures in Arroyo Naranjo, a neighboring municipality.
The energy backdrop is devastating: the Electric Union projected a deficit of 2,020 MW for the nighttime peak this Wednesday, with an availability of only 1,230 MW compared to a demand of 3,250 MW.
On Tuesday, the actual maximum impact reached 2,113 MW at 8:40 PM, the highest figure of the year, according to the Electric Union itself.
Cuba has gone months without Venezuelan crude—interrupted since November 2025 following the capture of Nicolás Maduro—and without donations of Russian oil, which were depleted at the end of April.
The country has experienced at least seven total collapses of the electrical system in the last 18 months; the most severe occurred on March 16, 2026, when the national blackout lasted for 29 hours and 29 minutes.
The food crisis worsens the situation: according to the survey "There is Hunger in Cuba" by the Food Monitor Program, 33.9% of Cuban households reported experiencing hunger in 2025, 25% of Cubans go to bed without dinner, and 96.91% of the population lacks adequate access to food.
San Miguel del Padrón has direct historical precedents of mobilization: in September 2024, residents of the neighborhoods La Rosita and Siboney blocked streets after more than 15 days without drinking water, using barricades and burning objects.
The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts recorded 1,133 protests in April 2026, a 29.5% increase compared to April 2025, while the regime has responded with social militarization and at least 14 arrests in Havana since March 6 related to noise protests.
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