Screenshot from the Facebook profile of Guillermo Rodríguez
By El Toque
HAVANA TIMES — Demonstrations broke out in Morón, Ciego de Ávila, on the night of March 13, 2026, after weeks in which prolonged power outages, fuel shortages, and shortages of various basic goods on the island have continued, along with the near-total paralysis of the country’s activities. Although communication has been limited, posts on social media provide an initial glimpse of what happened.
In several of the videos that have managed to circulate, dozens of people can be seen walking through the streets of the municipality, banging pots and shouting “freedom,” “down with the dictatorship,” “turn the power back on, damn it,” “down with Díaz-Canel,” and “we are not afraid.”
Several of the demonstrators initially gathered in front of the police station. Then, according to what can be seen in the videos, they went to the headquarters of the Communist Party, entered the building, and began burning furniture in the street outside, apparently including Castro-era symbols and photographs.
In other clips, what are said to be gunshots fired by repressive forces can be heard, although elTOQUE has not been able to independently verify this. Preliminary reports also mention at least one person injured.
The province of Ciego de Avila in yellow and the municipality of Moron in red.
According to journalist Jose Raul Gallego, after the protests began, internet access in Moron was cut off. This is a common practice of the Cuban regime to prevent images of the repression that follows from becoming public.
The protests in Morón come after seven consecutive days during which residents in different neighborhoods of Havana have taken to banging pots at night as a sign of discontent. This week, university students also staged a peaceful sit-in on the steps of the University of Havana to protest the suspension of classes and the inefficiency with which authorities have handled the continuation of the academic term.
They also come on the same day that the designated president Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed what everyone already knew: that the regime is holding official talks with the Trump administration, though it remains unclear for what purpose.
On March 12, 2026, the government announced the release of 51 people from prison, although it is not known how many of them are political prisoners. There are currently over a thousand political prisoners in Cuba, according to Prisoners Defenders, many since the nationwide protests in July, 2021.
First published in Spanish by El Toque and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.
Read more from Cuba here on Havana Times.
