Cuba’s latest blackout underscores its deepening economic crisis and tensions with US

Cuba’s latest blackout underscores its deepening economic crisis and tensions with US 1 of 5 | Officials in Cuba reported an island-wide blackout Monday in the country of some 11 million people as its energy and economic crises deepen and its power grid continues to crumble. (AP video shot by Ariel Fernández and Milexsy Durán) 2 of 5 | A street vendor waits for customers on the Malecón during a blackout in Havana, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) 3 of 5 | People watch the sunset from the Malecón during a blackout in Havana, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) 4 of 5 | People walk on a street during a blackout in Havana, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) 5 of 5 | A street vendor tends to a customer on the Malecón during a blackout in Havana, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) 1 of 5 Officials in Cuba reported an island-wide blackout Monday in the country of some 11 million people as its energy and economic crises deepen and its power grid continues to crumble. (AP video shot by Ariel Fernández and Milexsy Durán) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 2 of 5 A street vendor waits for customers on the Malecón during a blackout in Havana, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 3 of 5 People watch the sunset from the Malecón during a blackout in Havana, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 4 of 5 People walk on a street during a blackout in Havana, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 5 of 5 A street vendor tends to a customer on the Malecón during a blackout in Havana, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Havana (AP) — Large parts of Cuba were without power on Tuesday after its third blackout in four months underscored the island’s deepening energy and economic crises and rising political tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump.Electricity was slowly being restored to hospitals and some of the island’s 11 million residents, but officials warned that its crumbling power network could fail again.Cuba’s aging grid has drastically eroded in recent years, leading to daily outages and an increase in significant blackouts.The government blames its woes on a U.S. energy blockade after Trump in January warned of tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. After Cuba was plunged into darkness again, Trump said on Monday he believes he’ll have the “honor of taking Cuba.”“I mean, whether I free it, take it. I think I could do anything I want with it,” he said. Trump has described Cuba as a “very weakened nation.” The Trump administration is demanding that Cuba release political prisoners and move toward political and economic liberalization in return for a lifting of sanctions. Trump has also raised the possibility of a “friendly takeover of Cuba.” Critical oil shipments from Venezuela were halted after the U.S. attacked the South American country in early January and arrested its then-president, Nicolás Maduro.While Cuba produces 40% of its petroleum and has been generating its own power, it hasn’t been sufficient to meet demand as its electric grid continues to crumble. Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines said on X that the island had restored the electrical system in the western town of Pinar del Rio and the southeastern province of Holguin and that some “microsystems” were beginning to operate in various territories.State-owned media reported that by late Monday power had been restored to 5% of residents in the capital, Havana, representing some 42,000 customers. The city’s residents are concerned about food spoiling and simply trying to maneuver in homes with no lighting. “The power outages are driving me crazy,” said 48-year-old Dalba Obiedo. “Last night I fell down a 27-step staircase. Now I have to have surgery on my jaw. I fell because the lights went out.”The Ministry of Energy and Mines said earlier that there had been a “complete disconnection” of the country’s electrical system, noting there were no failures in the units that were operating when the grid collapsed. Lázaro Guerra, the ministry’s electricity director, told state media on Monday that crews were trying to restart several thermoelectric plants, which are key to restoring power.Havana resident Tomás David Velázquez Felipe, 61, said the relentless outages make him think that Cubans who can should just pack up and leave the island. “What little we have to eat spoils,” he said. “Our people are too old to keep suffering.”___Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america