Cuba sees daytime protests as power blackouts stretch beyond 40 hours

On June 19‑20, 2026, Cuban citizens took to the streets in Havana and other cities, expanding nightly cacerolazos into daytime demonstrations. The unrest was sparked by prolonged electricity outages—some neighborhoods suffered 40‑plus hours without power while adjacent blocks remained lit—along with water shortages, food scarcity and extreme heat. Residents piled trash as barricades, set fires in streets and chanted slogans such as “¡Que se vayan ya!” and “¡Libertad!”. Police and state security forces, including the “boinas negras”, responded with a heavy presence, blocking streets, dispersing gatherings and detaining several participants.

Protests were reported in many districts, including Centro Habana, La Lisa, San Miguel del Padrón, Regla, Santiago de Cuba and other neighborhoods. Social‑media posts documented unequal power distribution, with one Playa resident noting that block 2 was in darkness while block 3 had uninterrupted electricity. The government and state media offered no comment, maintaining silence while emphasizing a recently approved package of 176 economic measures and blaming the U.S. embargo for the energy crisis.