Cuba Runs Out of Fuel, Plunging Country Into Darkness and Protests

People look at a barricade set up by residents protesting against prolonged power outages in Havana on May 13.Photographer: Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo

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May 14, 2026 at 1:51 PM UTC

Cuba said the country has completely run out of the diesel and fuel oil it needs to keep its power plants running, with civil unrest starting to break out amid a de facto US energy blockade of the communist-run nation.

“The system has, once again, been left without any fuel reserves,” Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said during a press conference late Wednesday. “There’s absolutely nothing.”