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A protest by residents in Morón, a city in central Cuba, ended with five arrests after participants partially destroyed the local headquarters of the ruling communist party, according to Cuban authorities. The demonstration began early Saturday, and authorities said it was linked to the island’s energy supply issues and access to food.
Cuban officials said the “vandalism acts” in Morón were directed at the party building. The Cuban government also said a smaller group threw stones and set reception furniture on fire, and it pointed to additional damage captured in videos posted online.
Those videos showed that, in addition to the party headquarters, a drugstore and a store were also affected. The AP report described the incident in the context of residents’ anger amid worsening shortages, including fuel problems that have contributed to more frequent blackouts and reduced electricity generation.
Cuba’s government said the interior ministry has opened an investigation. The case comes as the country faces a severe energy crisis, which Cuban authorities said worsened after other countries in the region stopped sending oil.
Cuba has been relying on a patchwork of sources to keep electricity running, the government said, including natural gas, solar power and thermoelectric plants. Cuban authorities also said the depletion of fuel oil and diesel forced two power plants to shut down and limited generation at solar parks.
The most recent blackout was blamed on a broken boiler at a thermoelectric plant that forced the shutdown of Cuba’s power grid, according to Cuban authorities. The protests and arrests were reported against that backdrop of ongoing disruptions and shortages.
Separately, on Friday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said he was holding talks with the U.S. government. Díaz-Canel said the first time Cuba has confirmed widespread speculation about discussions with the Trump administration comes as the island grapples with the energy crisis, adding that no petroleum shipments have arrived in the past three months and blaming a U.S. energy blockade.