Cuba's humanitarian crisis deepens as Trump applies pressure
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A shopkeeper uses a power generator after a blackout in Havana on March 5. Photo: Yamil Lage/ AFP via Getty Images.
President Trump's economic pressure on Cuba is exacerbating a widespread humanitarian crisis as the U.S. continually threatens to intervene in the Caribbean island.
The big picture: Despite surviving 60 years of U.S. economic pressure, Cuban officials claim Trump is escalating the crisis by threatening to tariff its oil suppliers and openly musing about regime change.
- Trump said Tuesday that America will be "doing something with Cuba very soon."
State of play: A magnitude 6 earthquake hit Cuba Tuesday, which is already experiencing rolling blackouts due to energy shortages and the loss of essential services like hospitals.
- Cuba's president has accused the U.S. of creating an "energy blockade."
- The U.S. denies that it's behind the humanitarian crisis and has sent $9 million for hurricane disaster relief in the past few months.
Yes, but: Trump's threats to tariff countries like Mexico that supply Cuba with oil has effectively isolated the island economically.
- The U.S. also captured Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, which was a major supplier of oil to Cuba.
The hospital crisis is particularly acute, jeopardizing Cubans who require continuous care, including more than 32,000 pregnant women, according to the United Nations.
- Cuba's hospital system perpetually lacks supplies, staff and medicine. Power outages have plagued hospitals, and ambulances struggle to find fuel.
Around 10% of Cuba's population gets its drinking water from tanker trucks, and 84% of pumping equipment runs on electricity, according to the UN's top official in Cuba, Francisco Pichón.
- Food security is "deteriorating," Pichón told UN News in late February, as the country doesn't have the resources to produce and transport food.
Long lines at gas stations are common, prompting Cubans to hitchhike or walk long distances to save money.
- In some cases, flights carrying critical supplies have been suspended because airplanes can't refuel at Cuba's airports and the national transportation company has cut routes, stranding travelers for hours.
Go deeper: Exclusive: Rubio's secret squeeze on Raul Castro's Cuba
