From Streets to Homes Covered in Darkness: "We Can't Take It Anymore"

The streets of Havana, the capital of Cuba, are completely shrouded in darkness.

Streetlights, as well as traffic lights at intersections and roads, are completely non-functional.

Inside homes, there is only darkness as well.

With the power supply to Cuba's national grid completely cut off, electricity has been disrupted nationwide.

This nationwide blackout caused by the collapse of the national power grid is the sixth of its kind this year alone.

[Daimel Rodriguez / Havana, Cuba Resident: The problem is that when the national grid breaks down, people get exhausted and can no longer take it. This is unbearable.]

[Reinier Perez / Havana, Cuba Resident: We are not asking for much. What everyone wants is a little clarity on the situation and electricity supply to keep (food) from spoiling.]

The root cause of the blackout is a crude oil shortage resulting from U.S. energy trade embargoes.

Cuba's own domestic crude oil production accounts for barely over 40 percent of its total daily oil demand.

However, neighboring leftist nations Venezuela and Mexico, which had previously supplied the shortfall, both halted exports starting early this year due to U.S. pressure.

To make matters worse, aging power generation facilities have compounded the situation, worsening the blackouts.

With four major blackouts occurring within the past month alone, Cuba's industries as well as everyday life are being devastated.

The funds required for the Cuban government to fully restore and normalize the power grid are estimated at a minimum of 8 billion dollars, or about 11.5 trillion won in Korean currency.

However, due to strong U.S. economic sanctions, even Cuba's foreign currency-earning means of tourism and medical service exports have been blocked, leaving no way to secure funds.

In response to U.S. economic sanctions, Cuba has pursued opening up following the Chinese and Vietnamese models as a self-rescue measure, while accelerating efforts to ease regulations on foreign investment.

However, the U.S. Trump administration has dismissed these Cuban policies as a smokescreen of superficial openness aimed at maintaining the dictatorial regime and evading international criticism, showing no signs of lifting the economic blockade.

(Video by Kim Byeong-jik)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.