Since the beginning of March, Cuba has lost power three times.
In January, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order placing tariffs on any country that provides Cuba with oil. Cuba relies heavily on oil for its energy supply.
Last week, Trump said he believes “Cuba has seen the end,” and that he’ll have “the honour of taking it”.
Here’s what you need to know.
Background
Spain colonised Cuba in the 1500s. After the Spanish-American War, the U.S. took control of Cuba in 1898.
Cuba gained independence from the U.S. in 1902.
The countries maintained close ties until the Cuban Revolution against a U.S-backed dictatorship in 1959.
Fidel Castro was one of the leaders of the communist resistance, going on to be Cuba’s leader until 2008. His brother, Raúl Castro, then led the country until 2018.
As a result of the Revolution, diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba were severed in 1961.
The U.S. shut down its embassy and placed an embargo on all trade with Cuba. It then supported an attempted invasion by people who had been exiled from Cuba, which failed.
In 2015, President Barack Obama led the re-starting of diplomatic ties in what was dubbed the “U.S-Cuba Thaw,” re-opening the Havana embassy.
However, the embargo has continued to be in place, and U.S. citizens cannot visit Cuba as tourists. In 2021, 2.4 million people living in the U.S. identified as being of Cuban origin.
Venezuela
In early January, the U.S. military captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in order to try him in a New York court for narco-terrorism.
Narco-terrorism refers to the use of terrorist tactics by drug trafficking organisations (including, in some cases, nation states), or the collaboration between terrorist groups and drug cartels.
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The U.S. is one of many countries that did not recognise Maduro’s win at the 2024 Venezuelan election as legitimate.
Cuba, however, did.
Until Maduro’s capture, Venezuela had consistently supplied a significant amount of oil to Cuba, which relies on the resource for the majority (84%) of its energy supply.
Blackout
On 29 January, Trump issued an executive order imposing a fuel blockade on Cuba.
Under the blockade, any country that “directly or indirectly sells or otherwise provides any oil to Cuba” is subject to a tariff on goods it imports to the U.S.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on 20 March that the country has not received a supply of new fuel in three months.
Díaz-Canel’s comments came amid a series of blackouts that have been impacting Cuba, even before the executive order, blamed on ageing energy infrastructure.
This month alone, Cuba has seen three nationwide blackouts as a result of the limited oil supply and existing infrastructure issues.
Reports from Cuba say the blackouts have lasted for up to 20 hours, cutting off houses, businesses, and hospitals.
Power is still being restored following a national energy grid blackout on Saturday (local time).
Response
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly made claims about “taking” Cuba.
“I think I could do anything I want with it... they’re a very weakened nation,” he told reporters last week.
Last month, the UN condemned the U.S’ executive order, calling it a “serious violation of international law”.
Meanwhile, a humanitarian convoy arrived in Cuba with aid supplies, including food and medicine, this week.
