About 11 million people on the island nation of Cuba have lost power after the country’s electrical grid completely collapsed on Monday.
Cuba relies on oil to run the power grid, and a U.S. embargo has worsened the energy crisis it was already suffering under. The U.S. ended oil deliveries to Cuba from Venezuela and threatened other countries with steep tariffs if they provided oil to the nation.
‘Taking Cuba in some form, yeah, taking Cuba. I mean, whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it.’
The state-owned power operator said efforts were under way to restore power to the island. In the meantime, energy has been rationed and many services have shut down.
“The impact [of the blockade] is tremendous. It is most brutally manifested in these energy issues,” Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on Friday. “This causes anguish among the population.”
Díaz-Canel said Cuba had not received oil in about three months.
“Officials in the U.S. [government] must be feeling very happy by the harm caused to every Cuban family,” said Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío in a statement about the blackout.
Electricity generation is plagued by aged power infrastructure and a lack of spare parts that are also blocked by the embargo.
President Donald Trump said he had designs for a takeover of the island.
“I do believe I’ll be … having the honor of taking Cuba. That’s a big honor,” the president said to reporters at the White House. “Taking Cuba in some form, yeah, taking Cuba. I mean, whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it, you want to know the truth.”
RELATED: Massive blackout hits Cuba after entire power grid fails; communist government blames the US
He added, “They’re a very weakened nation right now. They were for a long time. Very violent leaders.”
Protesters have also risen up against the communist government in anger over the blackouts and a shortage of food.
Díaz-Canel said he’s having talks with Trump in order to find “areas of cooperation.” Some anticipate there will be a deal soon to allow some private businesses to operate on the communist island.
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