It is an unprecedented mobilization in Cuba, where the only authorized gatherings are usually those of the Communist Party (PCC, unique). Exceeded by the economic crisis, which worsened food and medicine shortages and pushed the government to cut electricity for several hours a day, thousands of Cubans spontaneously went out on Sunday July 12 in the streets of dozens of towns and villages. of the country, to the cries of ” We are hungry “, ” Freedom ” and “Down with the dictatorship”.
In the aftermath of these protests, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel accused the US government of leading “A policy of economic suffocation to provoke social unrest” on the island, while Joe Biden called him to “To hear his people”.
In a speech broadcast on television and radio, the Communist leader, surrounded by several of his ministers, assured that his government is trying to“Face and overcome” the difficulties faced with US sanctions, which have been reinforced since the tenure of US President Donald Trump (2017-2021).
” What are they looking for ? To provoke social unrest, to provoke misunderstandings “ among Cubans, but also “The famous change of regime”, denounced the Cuban president. Those behind these protests “Got the answer they deserved and they will continue to have it, as in Venezuela”, Cuba’s great ally, he added.
In a statement, US President Joe Biden called “The Cuban regime to listen to its people and respond to their needs”. “We stand with the Cuban people and their vibrant call for freedom”, he added.
The mobile Internet, which arrived at the end of 2018 in Cuba, which allowed the live broadcast of around 40 anti-government protests across the island on Sunday, was cut off on Monday morning. The streets of Havana were still crisscrossed by the police and the army, journalists noted, but calm returned after the clashes the day before which led to dozens of arrests.
If he recognized “Dissatisfaction” that some Cubans may feel, Miguel Diaz-Canel also gave to the revolutionaries “The order to fight” these gatherings in the street.
Great support from the Cuban authorities since Soviet times, Russia on Monday warned against any “Foreign interference” in this crisis. “We consider unacceptable any foreign interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and any other destructive action which would promote the destabilization of the situation on the island”Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“We are convinced that the Cuban authorities are taking all necessary measures to restore public order in the interest of the citizens of the country”Moscow added, saying “To follow closely the evolution of the situation in Cuba and its surroundings”.
Mexico offers help
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador rejected any approach “Interventionist” for the situation in Cuba and offered to send humanitarian aid.
Mexico may “Help by providing medicines, vaccines, whatever is needed, as well as food, because food and health are basic human rights” which do not require “Interventionist political management”, said the leftist leader.
On Sunday evening, the US government warned that it “Would strongly condemn any act of violence or aimed at targeting peaceful demonstrators who exercise their universal rights”, according to a tweet from US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
“The White House’s national security adviser does not have the political or moral authority to speak about Cuba”, reacted Monday the head of Cuban diplomacy, Bruno Rodriguez, on Twitter. “His government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars for subversion in our country and it is imposing a genocidal blockade, the main culprit behind the economic shortcomings”, he added.
Diplomatic relations at their lowest
Diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, after a brief reconciliation between 2014 and 2016, are at their lowest since the tenure of Donald Trump, which reinforced the embargo in force since 1962, denouncing violations of human rights. man and Havana’s support for the government of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.
These sanctions, as well as the absence of tourists due to the pandemic, plunged Cuba into a deep economic crisis and generated a strong social unrest, followed closely in Washington and on the American continent.
The protests also took place against a backdrop of a sharp rise in coronavirus cases on the island, with new contamination records every day. In total, Cuba has officially recorded 238,491 cases, including 1,537 deaths, for 11.2 million inhabitants.
A situation that has prompted many Cubans to use the keyword #SOSCuba on social media, to request that external humanitarian aid be authorized by the government.