Neighbors from the Havana neighborhood of Jaimanitas took to the streets on Sunday night to protest against a prolonged blackout and the lack of water, blocking Fifth Avenue in the Playa municipality and confronting the repressive response from the regime.
Videos of the protest shared on social media show dozens of people blocking the road, banging pots, and trying to obstruct the passage of vehicles.
A lieutenant colonel from the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) arrived at the scene in an attempt to disperse the protest, accompanied by plainclothes officers—a common tactic of the regime to infiltrate and dissolve such demonstrations without leaving visible evidence of state repression.
Tension escalated when one of the vehicles trapped in the blockade, allegedly containing members of the MININT, drove into the protesters, although no serious injuries were reported.
In the midst of the confrontation, the authorities reconnected the neighborhood's electrical circuit. The residents responded with shouts of "yes we can" and applause, in a scene that reflects the regime's recurring pattern: restoring power during protests as a tactic to disperse people.
This is not the first time that Jaimanitas has experienced this kind of explosion.
In July, the neighbors had already taken to the streets after more than 24 hours without electricity, in a protest that extended into a second consecutive day with slogans against the government and demands for freedom.
The Playa municipality has been experiencing episodes of discontent since March 2026, when electricity service was restored following similar protests.
In May, the regime's response was more violent: the police violently suppressed protesters in Playa during nighttime protests over power outages.
The protest in Jaimanitas occurs in the context of the most severe electrical crisis that Cuba has faced in decades.
The National Electric System has experienced at least seven total collapses so far in 2026, the most recent occurring in early August when the Electric Union declared a total disconnection of the Cuban electric system.
The day before the protest in Jaimanitas, the system recorded just 1,032 MW of availability against a deficit of 1,847 MW, which results in daily power outages lasting many hours across the entire island.
Demonstrations due to the energy crisis have spread throughout 2026 across various neighborhoods in Havana, from Alamar and Guanabacoa to Centro Habana and El Vedado.
In mid-August, a pots and pans protest shook even the surroundings of the Plaza de la Revolución, in protest against power outages and the shortage of manufactured gas.
Since March 2026, at least 14 arrests have been recorded in Havana related to this type of protest, according to monitoring by human rights organizations.
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