Residents of the neighborhood Cayo Hueso, in Centro Habana, staged a massive banging protest last night, according to journalist Mario Pentón. The protest, posted by Facebook user Ángel Rivas, took place "in the 20-story buildings" in response to the prolonged blackouts that have left the Cuban capital in darkness.
Rivas described the protest as a "huge pot-banging demonstration" as it unfolded.
A couple of hours after this report, at 11:10 p.m., journalist Yosmay Mayeta reported another pot-banging protest in the capital, in the Mulgoba area, "La Chusmita," Boyeros. "There’s never any electricity there," commented a netizen on Mayeta's post.
The comments from residents of Centro Habana on the post by journalist Mario J. Pentón reveal the extent of the electrical shortages in the area. "From yesterday to today, only an hour and a half of electricity," wrote one of the neighbors, while another summed up the situation with a single phrase: "Just one hour of light, outrageous."
Other locals reported similar conditions in various parts of Havana. From Miramar and Playa, one internet user noted that in that area there were "only 3 hours of electricity since yesterday at 5 pm," referring to five in the afternoon on Friday, May 29.
Desperation was also reflected in other comments. "I don’t know how long a person can endure; we are already losing our minds, we can't take it anymore, may God help us," wrote a resident. Another internet user expanded the situation beyond the capital: "They have Santiago de Cuba completely in the dark as well."
The "cacerolazo" occurs in the context of an unprecedented electrical crisis in May 2026. This Saturday, the Electric Union reported a availability of only 1,400 MW against a demand of 2,770 MW, with a maximum impact of 1,890 MW recorded at 10:00 PM on Friday, worsened by the emergency shutdown of units at the Santa Cruz and Renté thermoelectric power plants.
This scenario was compounded by the fact that the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, one of the most important generating plants in the country, disconnected from the National Electric System less than 36 hours after being reconnected, further deepening the energy collapse.
The month of May has been the most critical of the year in terms of energy. On May 13, a record deficit of 2,153 MW was recorded, and the following day, a historic peak of 2,174 MW was reached, with outages lasting between 20 and 22 hours daily in Havana and nearly 70% of the Cuban population without service at the same time.
Cayo Hueso is not the only site of protests in Central Havana. The cacerolazo last Tuesday at Zanja and Hospital, led by residents of the 12-story building, foreshadowed the escalation that occurred this Saturday. In March 2026, similar episodes were also reported at Neptuno and Hospital, as well as at Salud and Belascoaín, the latter with police presence in the area.
Some comments on social media raised alarms about repression in the context of the protests. "Many people have also been imprisoned here and have been beaten too; there is undoubtedly fear, they are parents, and what about those children?" wrote an internet user. The episode in Alamar on May 21, where a protest during a blackout ended with police repression and at least one arrest, illustrates the regime's pattern of response to public indignation.
The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts documented 1,245 protests, complaints, and expressions of discontent in March 2026 and 1,133 in April, with the energy crisis as the primary trigger, a figure that reflects the exhaustion of a population that, as summarized by a resident of Cayo Hueso this Saturday, feels that "it’s already too much."
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