Cuba faces extreme poverty and severe energy crisis

A report by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) indicates that 94% of Cubans are living in extreme poverty, according to World Bank standards. The study, based on 1,318 interviews conducted in July, reveals that eight out of ten residents have had to skip meals in the last year due to a lack of food or financial resources.

Residents identified power outages as the most urgent social issue, followed by food crises, the cost of living, healthcare, and insecurity. The report also highlights a deteriorating housing situation, noting that nearly half of the surveyed homes require repairs, with 7% at risk of collapse.

In a related critique of the energy crisis, comedian and electrical engineer Ulises Toirac attributed the collapse of the National Electric Power System to decades of internal mismanagement rather than external sanctions. Toirac pointed to the failure of the 2005 ‘Energy Revolution’ and the lack of maintenance for diesel engines as primary drivers of the current electrical instability.