Although the immediate cause of this apagón was a technical fault, the underlying reason is the US blockade of Cuba. In 2021, the US State Department designated Cuba "a State Sponsor of Terrorism", meaning that entities trading with it could face sanction or prosecution. A Havana street with rubbish piling up. That is the reality of the US blockade on Cuba — it kills people. When we delivered the medical supplies to the Hermanos Ameijeiras hospital, the deputy director told us they had performed 28 surgeries that day alone.

Source: Irish Examiner April 01, 2026 06:00 UTC