The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts (OCC) documented 691 protests and public complaints in Cuba during August, highlighting a rise in social discontent and criticism of the regime's failure to address the suffocating crisis impacting the nation. According to the report published by the OCC on Monday, the demonstrations in August represent a 24.61% increase compared to the 521 recorded in July and a 38.64% rise from the 424 that occurred in August 2023.
The report states that August was "a month in which the multilayered crisis affecting the majority of Cubans deepened, echoed in the streets and online with the sentiment that communist leaders do nothing because they 'have everything' and the people's hardships 'do not affect them.'" Over the first eight months of 2024, the OCC compiled expressions of dissatisfaction from all 15 provinces, except the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud. The highest number of protests occurred in Havana with 154, followed by Santiago de Cuba (61), Villa Clara (35), Holguín (30), and Guantánamo (30).
The majority of the discontent protests in the country—540 (78.14%)—were related to economic and social rights, evidencing widespread disapproval of Miguel Díaz-Canel's government in critical sectors such as public health, services, public safety, food, social issues, and housing.
Public Health Crisis Sparks Protests
The crisis in the public health service sparked 115 protests and complaints, driven, as the report notes, by the population's sense of helplessness and abandonment amid national epidemics of Oropouche and dengue; the lack of equipment, medicines, and basic supplies; and reliance on the black market, social networks, and public charity to obtain them. The shortage of well-trained doctors, exacerbated by the export of health professionals to other countries, further fueled the unrest.
Additionally, the observatory recorded medical negligence in at least nine hospitals and an increase in requests for humanitarian visas to "receive treatments that the so-called medical power cannot provide."
The worsening situation with water, sanitation, and electricity led to an increase in complaints (111) related to public services. "The frustration over the lack of potable water in the capital for weeks or months overflowed into a march and cacerolazo in San Francisco de Paula," the OCC pointed out, while emphasizing the deteriorating power cuts, "with generation deficits exceeding 1000 megawatts, due to the progressive breakdown of the obsolete thermoelectric plants" in the country.
The report also highlights the dire sanitary conditions in the nation, due to weeks of uncollected garbage accumulating in dozens of cities, adversely affecting the population's living conditions.
In August, food insecurity worsened for Cubans, leading to increasing protests and public complaints (107) over the lack of essential foods and rampant inflation, which prevents the vast majority of Cubans—especially the elderly, children, and the ill—from eating adequately.
"The month once again brought images of people scavenging for food in garbage," the OCC report noted, citing instances of cat meat consumption as a "desperate solution" to the food crisis.
Public safety concerns triggered 108 protests and complaints in August, a month marked by a surge in violent crimes, including murders—homicides and femicides—and knife attacks, as well as assaults, robberies, scams, and disappearances.
Furthermore, the OCC reported 151 protests related to civil and political rights (21.85%) in Cuba. Among these, 100 were motivated by repressive acts, while "challenges to the police state" accounted for 51.
"Repression in prisons and on the streets continued unabated, as evidenced by 100 protests and complaints involving political prisoners and their families, activists, dissidents, and independent journalists, as well as other civil society members like entrepreneurs, religious figures, theater artists, social media users, military recruits, and even an elderly man who dared to plant corn on the grounds of an abandoned school," detailed the report.
Key Questions About Social Unrest in Cuba
Below are some frequently asked questions regarding the social unrest and protests in Cuba, drawing from the recent findings by the Cuban Observatory of Conflicts.
Why are there increasing protests in Cuba?
Protests in Cuba are increasing due to widespread dissatisfaction with the government's handling of economic and social issues, including public health, food insecurity, and public services like water and electricity.
What are the main issues driving the protests?
The main issues driving the protests include a failing public health system, lack of essential supplies, food insecurity, rampant inflation, poor public services, and increasing violent crime rates.
How has the Cuban government responded to these protests?
The Cuban government's response has largely been characterized by repression, with numerous reports of political prisoners, activists, and journalists facing harsh treatment both in prisons and on the streets.
What regions in Cuba are most affected by the protests?
Havana has seen the highest number of protests, followed by Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara, Holguín, and Guantánamo.