CSC statement on power cuts in Cuba
Campaign News | Monday, 21 October 2024
Antonio Guiteras power station, Matanzas
The US government must end its 62-year-old blockade and additional sanctions against Cuba, which are hindering the import of fuel and parts to the country’s energy sector and exacerbating the island’s energy and economic crisis.
Cuba is experiencing its largest blackout in recent years following the failure of the country’s main power station, the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant in Matanzas.
Most of the population has been left without electricity for more than two days. Schools and non-vital services were closed until 23 October as the country also prepared for heavy rains and winds expected due to Hurricane Oscar. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz said that the existing fuel shortages had also been exacerbated by the earlier Hurricane Milton, which has made it difficult for much-needed fuel to be delivered by ship.
For months Cubans have suffered daily power cuts due to lack of fuel and materials to repair their five ageing national power plants, many of which are more than fifty years old. Restrictions on obtaining fuel and parts, as well as food and medicines, are all part of the ongoing 62-year-old US blockade.
Already existing shortages were exacerbated by the Trump administration when it tightened the blockade with 243 extra measures. Furthermore, Cuba’s inclusion on the US ‘State Sponsor of Terrorism’ list has had a direct impact on fuel shipments and financial transactions, blocking regular supplies of fuel which would enable the national grid to operate at full capacity and with stability. President Biden’s unwillingness to reverse these sanctions has caused profound shortages and is contributing to a humanitarian crisis which is costing lives and driving increased emigration.
The Cuba Solidarity Campaign will continue to campaign for Cuba to be removed from the ‘State Sponsors of Terrorism’ (SSOT) list, a designation which is both unjust and inhumane in its impact on the Cuban people.
The CSC stands with the Cuban people in their struggle for justice and self-determination. We urge the British government to speak out against the cruel and vindictive US blockade and Cuba’s inclusion on the SSOT list when it attends the annual United Nations General Assembly debate and vote on the blockade of Cuba in New York next week.
End the US blockade
Remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list
Donate to the Cuba Vive medical appeal
