Protesters in Cuba ransacked a local Communist Party office after a demonstration over rising food prices and ongoing power outages, in a rare act of public dissent.
Authorities said five people were arrested after a small group vandalised the party building in the central city of Morón overnight into Saturday. The protest began peacefully but later escalated into vandalism, with furniture taken from the reception area and set on fire in the street. Nearby state-run facilities, including a pharmacy and a government market, were also targeted.
The unrest comes as frustration grows across the island over frequent blackouts and shortages of food, fuel, and medicine. Cuba has struggled with severe energy shortages after oil shipments stopped for months, worsening an already fragile economy.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel said the country had received no fuel imports for three months, blaming a U.S. oil blockade. The crisis has disrupted public transport, hospitals, waste collection, and education.
The protest occurred shortly after the Cuban government confirmed it was holding talks with the United States in search of solutions to the ongoing crisis.
Public demonstrations are uncommon in Cuba, but growing shortages and blackouts have led some residents to protest by banging pots and pans at night, particularly in Havana, where outages have lasted up to 15 hours a day.
