TL/DR –
Ecuador has declared Cuba’s Ambassador, Basilio Gutierrez, and his diplomatic staff persona non grata and given them 48 hours to leave the country. While Ecuador did not specify the reasons for the expulsion, it comes at a time of intensified US aggression towards Cuba. Meanwhile, most of Cuba, including the capital Havana, has experienced a power outage caused by a fault at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, according to the state electric utility.
Cuba Hit by Widespread Power Outage as Diplomatic Tensions with Ecuador Escalate
Cuba’s Ambassador to Ecuador, Basilio Gutierrez, and his staff were given 48 hours to exit Quito.
A vast majority of Cuba, including capital Havana, suffered a significant power outage, the state electric utility has confirmed. This comes as the Trump Administration’s efforts to cripple the Caribbean nation by disrupting vital oil shipments continues.
Reports of the nationwide power outage emerged along with the plummeting diplomatic relations with Ecuador, which recently announced the expulsion of Havana’s leading envoy and diplomatic staff from capital Quito.
Cuban state media attributed the blackout to a fault at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, about 100km east of Havana, leading to power cuts from Pinar del Rio in the far west to the Las Tunas province in the east. The national electric company, UNE, stated that two-thirds of the country, including Havana, was without power, and it is currently working on service restoration.
After a brief interruption, Cuban state TV resumed, with the presenter explaining the delay was due to the blackout. Cuba’s electricity generation system has been inadequate for many years. Daily power outages lasting up to 20 hours are commonplace, particularly in impoverished areas lacking enough fuel for power generation.
Amid heightened US pressure, Ecuador declared Cuban Ambassador Basilio Gutierrez and his team persona non grata, according to the Ecuadorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, giving them 48 hours to leave the country. The startling move comes in the wake of recent suggestions by US President Donald Trump on carrying out a “friendly takeover” of Cuba.
Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla rejected “in the strongest terms the arbitrary and unjustified decision of the government of Ecuador to expel all personnel from the Cuban Embassy”, adding that the decision seemed to be influenced by intensified US aggression against Cuba and pressures for third states to join this policy.
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