Cuba faces a suffocating economic crisis and America is tightening restrictions against it

Last spring, thousands of Cubans gathered in the revolution square in the Cuban capital, Havana, to celebrate the Labor Day in Cuba. During this particular year, there was nothing worth celebrating, as Cuba suffers from a national catastrophe, and the Cuban people are increasingly facing a state of despair.

In the midst of the worst economic crises that ravaged the country, which strongly affected the island, the Cuban government was forced to pressure citizens to attend this annual gathering.

Some reports said that about 600,000 Cuban were present in Havana, while millions around Cuba were attending this annual occasion, but participating in such a gathering was not voluntary, as it is the price that Cuba residents pay in order to obtain the advantages provided by the state, including employment, housing, education, food assistance, and some other necessities.

In spite of the severe shortage of water, food, medicines and fuel that led to the exposure of paralysis in recent years, on this day all the government’s resources were used to facilitate the attendance of the effectiveness of the revolution square, because this gathering, like other gatherings, is intended to be a political action, aimed at delivering a public support message to the troubled Cuban government.

Although driving in Cuba has changed formally in 2019, as Miguel Diaz Canel became the head of state, Raul Castro is still dominating behind the scenes as is the prevailing belief. Although Castro has become ninety -four years old, it is still a strong position of power and is practicing a great influence in political, economic and military affairs.

Social control measures are still comprehensive under its leadership, starting from the level of the local community with the neighborhood committees to defend the revolution, the brigades of the Rapid Response, the Revolutionary National Police, the Revolutionary Armed Forces, and the group of commercial administration that facilitates the Cuban army’s control of the economy.

The greatest concern of the Cuban government this day remains the continuous power outage, and this interruption was limited to remote provinces, but it has now arrived in the capital Havana, given the government’s inability to secure the necessary fuel for power stations.

In March 2025, after a failure of a power plant, most of the country became electricity, which led to the closure of many schools and institutions, and that was the fourth major electricity interruption in six months.

That is why for a country that already suffers from a sharp decrease in monthly income, poor economy, and the deterioration of living standards, it is not surprising that the population frustration increases.

At the beginning of last June, the “Havana University” students began protesting the sharp increase in Internet and mobile services fees imposed by the government telecommunications company. This company, which is highly owned by the Cuban army, is said to receive good funding from the “Cuban exiles” who buy mobile phone packages for their families on the island, and represents an important source of income for the Cuban government.

Another concern for the Cuban government lies in its lack of hard currency in order to facilitate trade, especially in order to import food and medicines that are in need of. Cuba was receiving financial support from the former Soviet Union during the Cold War, and then from Venezuela during the era of former President Hugo Chavez, but it is now lacking help.

Under these circumstances, the administration of US President Donald Trump made changes in its policy towards Cuba. In the framework of his comprehensive discounts of the US International Development Agency (USD), President Trump canceled Radio and TV, Marti, two pioneering companies in the soft American campaign against Cuban Communication.

Since entering the White House, Trump has classified Cuba as a country of terrorism, and agreed to re -establish the “banned Cuba List”, which prohibits dealing with companies related to the Cuban government.

Recently, in the aftermath of the very large immigration of Cuba, the Trump administration moved to end the “Humanitarian Release” program that allowed a number of Cubans to enter the United States under temporary legal status.

On the fourth of last June, the United States declared a partial ban on the Cubans wishing to enter the United States without an entry visa. Trump’s spending and tax law included a tax on financial transfers, which caused a negative impact on the largest Cuban source of foreign income.

Today, Cuba is facing a difficult moment. It has left more than six decades of the revolution with severe effects, and the leadership of Cuba is still unwilling to enact the logical democratic reforms necessary to alleviate the suffering and restore the dignity of its people. While Cuban citizens continue to search for simple, but meaningful ways to express their dissatisfaction, it is time for the international community to raise awareness of the bitter reality in Cuba, and demand its leadership of change. About “Hill”

. The Cuban government lacks hard currency to facilitate trade, especially in order to import food and medicine.