Cuban police and MININT deploy in Havana amid water‑shortage and blackout protests

On the night of July 24, videos posted on social media captured a large security operation in the El Diezmero neighborhood of San Miguel del Padrón, eastern Havana. The footage shows at least two patrol cars, a truck, a van and numerous uniformed officers from the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) and police units lining the streets.

The deployment responded to street protests in several Havana districts, where residents shouted, blocked streets with branches and debris, and used pots and fire extinguishers in a cacerolazo. Demonstrators demanded an end to chronic water shortages and rolling blackouts, citing a recent power outage of 2,315 MW that left many neighborhoods without electricity for up to 35 hours.

The protests are part of a broader wave of unrest that began in May 2026 with calls for “electricity and food,” continued with tire burnings in June, and intensified after a month‑long water cut in July. Despite official claims of fuel scarcity, the regime mobilised multiple vehicles and the black‑beret National Special Brigade to quell the demonstrations. The police presence comes ahead of a scheduled nationwide cacerolazo at 9 p.m. on July 26, a date the authorities had marked for celebration.