The United States warned that the demonstrations in Cuba reflect a desperate situation and expressed its support for the protesters.

USA Attributed to opposition in Cuba to one “Disappointing Situation” A State Department spokesman said on Monday that allegations of interference were “absurd” because of the blackout and food shortages.

“The United States is not behind this protest in Cuba and the accusation is absurd,” he told reporters. Vedant Patel After Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Havana, Benjamin Ziff, were summoned to the Chancellery.

Deputy Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cosio The Cuban Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Ziff “formally” categorically rejected the interventionist behavior of the US government and its embassy in Cuba regarding the internal affairs of the Cuban reality and condemnatory messages.

Hundreds of people protested on Sunday in Santiago de Cuba, in the east of the island, after several days of power outages. Up to 13 hours a day And due to lack of food.

It was one of the largest days of anti-government demonstrations in Cuba July 11, 2021The most numerous protests in decades, with protests from Nuevavitas (2022) and Camenera (2023).

“I think what we’re seeing is a reflection of the desperate situation on the island,” a State Department spokesman said.

Washington “asks the Cuban government to refrain from violence and unjust arrests, and we ask the authorities to respect the right of Cuban citizens to peacefully assemble,” he added.

“The United States supports the Cuban people in the exercise of their right to peaceful assembly,” he expressed on the social network. Brian Nichols, The person in charge of the State Department for Latin America.

Nichols also stated that “the Cuban government cannot meet the needs of its people unless it embraces democracy and the rule of law and respects the rights of citizens.”

This weekend was made worse by power outages Fuel shortage.

Cuba estimates that the situation will improve if the United States removes it from the list of sponsors of terrorism, which hinders the island’s commercial transactions and investments.

Democratic president Barack Obama She was removed from the list in 2015 but was reinstated at the end of the Republican term. Donald Trump. His successor, the Democrat Joe Biden, who was Obama’s vice president, kept it to himself. In addition, Cuba is under Economic sanctions United States for more than six decades.

Cuba has been mired in crisis for more than three years. Serious economic crisis Shortages of basic products, coupled with rapid inflation, prolonged daily blackouts and increasing dollarization, have led to unprecedented migration and strong social unrest.

Blackouts have worsened over the past two months due to breakdowns at obsolete Soviet-built plants and fuel shortages, with power outage rates of up to 45% at times of peak demand. These failures add up to more than 10 hours a day in many provinces of the country.

Epidemic of COVID-19The tightening of US sanctions and inherent flaws in economic and financial policies have exacerbated the structural problems of the Cuban system over the past three years.

(With information from AFP and EFE)