Q&A
Q&A: Are demonstrations in Cuba happening more often, and can they make a difference?
On Tuesday evening, groups of Cubans took to the streets across the island in protest after its third nationwide blackout since the beginning of the year. ACLED answers four commonly asked questions to unpack the situation.
Are demonstrations in Cuba becoming more common?
As a result of the Cuban government’s systemic crackdown on dissent, demonstrations in Cuba have remained rare. But ever since the United States imposed a fuel blockade on the island on 29 January, demonstrations have increased. Thus far in 2026, ACLED records nearly 300 demonstration events, surpassing the totals for any full year since ACLED’s coverage of Cuba began in 2018.
While the demonstrations were triggered by the prolonged power outages, lasting hours and sometimes days, they reflect broader grievances over the humanitarian consequences of fuel shortages, including disrupted water supplies, deteriorating health care, medicine shortages, and food insecurity.
Are demonstrations in Cuba becoming more violent?
Demonstrations are mainly peaceful but have at times escalated amid mounting frustration over the dire humanitarian consequences of power cuts. Last month alone, looting and clashes between demonstrators and police forces occurred in Artemisa, Santiago de Cuba, and Havana provinces, including the setting on fire of a museum dedicated to the leaders of the Cuban Revolution in Contramaestre.
How are the Cuban state and its allies responding to these demonstrations?
In response to these demonstrations, there have also been movements targeting voices of dissent. A few days before the anniversary of the 11 July 2021 protest movement, a landmark uprising in Cuba’s recent history that triggered a wave of repression, ACLED records an increase in violence targeting critics of the government perpetrated by both state and state-allied actors. This type of violence is on the rise: ACLED records 29 events between January and June 2026, compared with 35 across the whole of 2025.
Is the government able to give into protester demands?
As long as the US oil embargo remains, the Cuban government will be limited in how it can address the material grievances of the population. While the government has shown signs of openness to dialogue and economic reforms — President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced a package of economic reforms in June — talks between Havana and Washington have made little progress. The US appears unwilling to ease the pressure and has continued to press for political reforms, despite mounting international pressure to lift the blockade.
Recently, the Cuban foreign minister said the US’ blockade amounts to “an act of war,” after which US Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, blamed Cuba's communist government for the dire situation the country is in, an exchange which illustrates the impasse between both sides.
On 7 July, the UN voted to hold a debate on the sanctions, signaling a diplomatic victory for Havana at Washington's expense.
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