Residents of Santa Rita, a locality in the Jiguaní municipality of Granma province, took to the streets on Saturday to protest against power outages and deteriorating living conditions. Videos shared on Facebook quickly amassed tens of thousands of views, capturing the public's attention.
The footage depicts the community chanting, "We want electricity!" and "The people united will never be defeated!" as a police patrol car drove through the demonstration, failing to disperse the crowd.
This protest unfolded a day after Holguín, Granma, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantánamo were disconnected from the national grid due to fluctuations in transmission lines, according to reports from Friday.
Power Struggles in Eastern Cuba
The electrical situation in eastern Cuba is dire. On Saturday, the national maximum power outage was projected to reach 2,072 MW, with only 758 MW of available generation and five generating units out of service.
Jiguaní is no stranger to these hardships: in June, the area experienced nearly 49 consecutive hours without electricity, with some circuits in Granma enduring outages lasting up to 72 hours. At that time, residents pleaded for "at least three hours of light."
The province has faced numerous total blackouts throughout the year. A failure in the 220 kV Nuevitas–Las Tunas line left eastern Cuba without service in mid-October, and on June 23, an issue in the Renté–Santiago line plunged all of Granma into darkness.
A Continuing Pattern of Protests
The events in Santa Rita are not isolated. Earlier in October, residents in Cabañas, Mariel (Artemisa), took to the streets for the second time in less than four days for similar reasons. The call for "We want electricity!" had already echoed in June in front of the Municipal Government of Regla, Havana.
The pattern persists: police presence fails to halt the demonstrators, accumulated frustration, and a crisis the regime has yet to resolve.
According to data from Cubalex, the first half of 2026 saw 766 protests across 141 municipalities in the country, with a record 253 in June alone and 31 in a single day. The wave of discontent shows no signs of abating.
Understanding the Cuban Power Crisis
What triggered the protests in Santa Rita, Granma?
The protests were ignited by ongoing power outages and worsening living conditions, leading residents to demand electricity and express their frustration.
How severe is the power crisis in eastern Cuba?
The power crisis in eastern Cuba is critical, with large-scale outages and insufficient generation capacity, leaving many areas without electricity for extended periods.
How has the Cuban government responded to these protests?
Despite the presence of police, the government has struggled to control the protests, which continue as residents express their accumulated dissatisfaction.