Black beret squads were spotted on the streets of the Havana neighborhood of Jaimanitas during the night on Friday, which locals interpret as a preventive militarization by the regime in anticipation of new protests due to prolonged blackouts.
The complaint was posted on Facebook by resident Yunia Figueredo, who pointed out that the neighborhood had been without electricity for over 24 hours while the prioritized circuits of Mayanima and the so-called "point 0 street" remained lit without interruption.
"The only thing they know how to do is suppress while they are killing us, food is spoiling, there’s nothing to cook with, firewood is nowhere to be found, and thinking about gas is a luxury that very few can afford. And don’t even think about water," wrote Figueredo.
Just five days earlier, on August 24, neighbors blocked Fifth Avenue and staged pot-banging protests in response to another prolonged blackout and water shortages.
On that occasion, a lieutenant colonel from MININT arrived at the scene accompanied by plainclothes officers to try to deactivate the mobilization, and a vehicle allegedly linked to that institution struck protesters.
As a tactic of dispersal, the authorities reconnected the neighborhood's electric circuit during the confrontation, a maneuver that has been repeated in other areas of Havana.
On July 6, Jaimanitas had already been the scene of an initial wave of protests when residents blocked the same artery after more than 24 hours without electricity. Reuters confirmed days later that there were mobilizations in Jaimanitas and Santa Fe as part of a nationwide collapse of the electrical grid.
The disparity in blackouts in the neighborhood has been a constant trigger of indignation. While entire neighborhoods remain in the dark, prioritized circuits continue to receive power, which residents attribute to political favoritism in energy allocation.
The pattern of militarization in response to protests over blackouts reflects a strategy documented throughout Cuba in 2026. The regime has deployed the so-called "black berets" —National Special Brigade of MININT— in Santiago de Cuba, San Miguel del Padrón, and multiple locations in Havana.
In August, residents of San Miguel del Padrón reported the presence of armed soldiers
Jaimanitas, located in the Playa municipality along Fifth Avenue, has become one of the most active centers of civic resistance against blackouts in 2026.
Related videos:
Filed under: