Widespread protests erupted across Cuba this weekend, with large bonfires, pot‑banging and anti‑communist graffiti including messages reading “Viva Trump,” and security forces appear stretched and unable to detain many demonstrators.The unrest follows tightened US oil controls and an operation to arrest deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro that reportedly killed 32 Cuban soldiers and cut off discounted Venezuelan shipments; the US Treasury has allowed resale of Venezuelan oil to Cuba's private sector even as deliveries remain constrained.Donald Trump has renewed threats of a "friendly takeover" of Cuba while his administration’s tariffs and executive orders have choked fuel deliveries, producing daily blackouts that exceed 20 hours in some areas.Health Minister
José Ángel Portal Miranda says hospitals are under acute strain, with about 96,000 patients on surgical waiting lists and vaccine cold chains at risk, while
Mexico,
Chile and
Spain have pledged humanitarian aid.