Cubans, still recovering from months of hours-long blackouts, now have a new problem: lack of fuel.
Many gas stations across the island have been closed for days as an exceptionally severe shortage has left the country almost without gasoline and diesel, stranding drivers and creating seemingly endless lines at pumps in Havana.
“We have been waiting for a fuel truck to arrive for three days,” said Armando Corrales, from the driver’s seat of his gray Kia SUV at a gas station in the capital.
“People slept here in line so they wouldn’t lose their place.”
in two months that left millions of people in the dark for days, prompting the government to temporarily close schools and non-essential industries.
Cuba has yet to provide an explanation for the latest deficit.
Only a small amount of fuel has been offered in Havana since Wednesday, according to a government app that records deliveries to individual gas stations.
Authorities have already assigned blame for this, which complicates Cuba’s financial transactions and makes it difficult for the government to purchase fuel on the spot market.
Cuba’s longtime allies have reduced fuel shipments this year. Venezuela sent 44% less crude oil and fuel to the Caribbean island in the January-November period, according to tanker monitoring data and documents from Venezuelan state company PDVSA.
Mexico, which became a regular supplier to the island, made up part of the difference. But both Venezuela and Mexico send mostly crude oil to Cuba, whose aging refineries need to use it to produce gasoline and diesel for cars, trucks and generators.
