Overview

• Protests erupted in Santiago de Cuba and spread to several provinces, with demonstrators demanding an end to electricity and food shortages.
• The Cuban government's response included distributing rice and milk and blaming 'terrorists' in the US for inciting unrest.
• Despite efforts to calm the situation, reports of police repression and arrests of protestors have emerged.
• Internet and mobile data services were cut in an attempt to prevent the spread of protests and reporting on the unrest.
• The economic crisis in Cuba, exacerbated by the US embargo and internal policies, has led to worsening living conditions.