Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Thursday that his government would roll out a multisector contingency plan in the next week to confront fuel shortages as U.S. pressure grows to block the supply of oil to the Caribbean island nation.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Thursday that his administration would introduce a broad, multi-sector contingency plan within the next week to address fuel shortages as the United States intensifies efforts to restrict oil supplies to the Caribbean nation.
Speaking at a televised press conference, Diaz-Canel said the U.S. blockade was affecting key sectors including public transport, hospitals, schools, the wider economy and tourism. “How do we cultivate our land? How do we get around? How do we keep children in school without fuel?” he asked.
He added that the government would implement measures that are not intended to be permanent but would demand sacrifices. “We are going to take steps that will require effort. What other option do we have? Should we simply give up? There is so much that must be defended,” he said.
Cuban officials recently lauded a phone call they had with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, although they did not share details. Meanwhile, Mexico has pledged to send humanitarian aid, including food, after Trump said he asked that it suspend oil shipments to the island.
Many in Santa Cruz del Norte feel the worst is yet to come.
“With all those tariffs they’re going to impose on countries, no oil will come in, and how are we going to live?” said Gladys Delgado.
The 67-year-old had cracked open her front door on a recent chilly afternoon to get some fresh air as she sewed small, colourful rugs made of clothing scraps to make extra cash because her pension is only $6 a month.
A couple of houses down, Minorkys Hoyos dropped a handful of cassava cubes into an old pot she filled with water from a barrel and placed it over a tiny, makeshift grill inside her home.
“You live with what you have,” she said, noting she had no other food available at that moment.
The few rechargeable items that used to light her small, dishevelled home have broken down, and she began to bump into things until a neighbour gifted her an improvised lantern made with fuel and a reused baby food jar.
“When it’s dark, I don’t see,” said the 53-year-old diabetic.
It was late afternoon as she cooked, but her home was already dark.
Outside, two children sat on a dusty sidewalk. They stacked dominoes one atop the other to see how high they could go before the whole thing tumbled down.
With inputs from agencies
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