A wave of protests has swept Cuba. Thousands of people have taken to the streets across the country, expressing dissatisfaction with the work of the authorities
Andres Serbin, executive director of the Regional Coordinating Center for Economic and Social Studies (CRIES) and co-chair of the Asia and America Division of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA), explained specifically to News Front what and why is happening on Liberty Island.
He noted the spontaneous nature of the protests. They started in small towns because of the difficult situation in the economic and health sectors. However, the actions quickly made their way to the Cuban capital, Havana.
“The key reasons for the protests: rising food prices and shortages, power cuts, a pandemic and a lack of medicines. In addition, the reduction of tourism, the main source of income, has caused an economic crisis in the country”, – said the expert.
However, the main problem can be considered the US sanctions. The Cuban government has failed to neutralise the damage from them with economic reforms in time.
“Hopes that the Biden administration would have chosen to normalise relations with Cuba did not materialise”, – Serbin concluded.
The protests in Cuba began on Sunday, 11 July. The president and head of the Communist Party, Miguel Diaz-Canel, blamed the United States for the unrest and called on his citizens to unite and resist the threat that comes from outside.