Cubans demand electricity and food in massive anti-government protests

Thousands of Cuban residents participated in anti-government protests on Sunday, demanding that the island's authorities restore the electricity supply and increase stocking in deserted grocery stores.

The largest demonstrations occurred in Santiago de Cuba, in the island's southwest.

"We want bread!", "We are hungry!", "Freedom!", "We want electricity and food!" - chanted the participants of the demonstration, organized in the center of the Cuban city.

According to independent media and accounts published by demonstrators on social media, authorities sent to several parts of the city engulfed by demonstration trucks filled with food, including rice and milk.

Commentators of the Cibercuba website believe the sudden Sunday supply of goods aims to calm social moods in Santiago de Cuba.

On Sunday, large protests also took place in the cities of Bayamo and Cacocum, in the east of Cuba, where people took to the streets to protest against the hours-long shortages of electricity.

The Cuban authorities, which deployed security service officers on the streets, have not yet confirmed any arrests among the protesting population. According to internet users, the demonstrations were peaceful.

The economic crisis on the communist-ruled island has been ongoing for four years, but things have never been this bad due to weakening imports and a sharp decline in production.

"Food production, pharmaceutical supplies, and transportation have fallen by at least half since 2018, and they are still declining. Largely due to chronic fuel shortages and power supply interruptions," - reported by Reuters at the end of last year.

The production of pork, rice, and beans - all staple foods on the Cuban plate - has fallen by more than 80 percent compared to pre-crisis levels this year. Meanwhile, egg production dropped by half.

The Cuban government has acknowledged that its state economy requires reform.