Cubans across various sectors are adapting to challenging circumstances as they face prolonged power outages and surging prices for essential goods amidst looming threats from the US against the communist-led nation.
In a series of interviews conducted by Reuters, a diverse group of over thirty residents from different areas surrounding Havana, the heart of Cuba’s political and economic activities, shared their experiences. These individuals included street vendors, private sector employees, taxi drivers, and government workers.
The collective accounts reveal a population grappling with the impact of diminishing supplies and rising costs, particularly in sectors heavily reliant on increasingly scarce fuel resources. While enduring extended periods without electricity, internet access, or water due to the country’s fragile and outdated power infrastructure is not new to many rural Cubans, the situation in the bustling capital is now also deteriorating.
The city, characterized by its vintage cars and weathered Spanish colonial buildings, is now facing its own crisis as fuel shortages escalate following disruptions in oil shipments from Venezuela and Mexico. The US administration, under President Donald Trump, has announced plans to impose tariffs on Cuban oil suppliers, intensifying pressure on the nation following the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a key ally to Cuba, in early January.
As a result of these developments, the Cuban peso has depreciated by over 10% against the US dollar in a span of three weeks, leading to a surge in grocery prices across the country.
