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Cuba Protesters Cite Shortages, Frustrations with Government

VOA News

   Protesters rallying against Cuba's government on Sunday expressed a
   number of grievances, including the state of the country's economy and
   the response to the coronavirus pandemic.
   "What we want is change," Yamila Monte, a Cuban domestic worker told
   AFP. "I have had enough."
   The protests were the largest against the government in decades and
   took place in the capital, Havana, as well as multiple areas across the
   country.
   People "are angry because there is no food, because there are
   problems," Yudeiky Valverde, a 39-year-old primary school employee told
   AFP.

   Cuba is in the midst of severe economic woes. The government reported
   the economy shrank by 11% last year. A drop in tourism after the Trump
   administration imposed new travel restrictions and the ongoing
   coronavirus pandemic have added to the strain of the continued U.S.
   trade embargo and sanctions targeting shipments of oil from Venezuela.
   With a sharp spike in COVID-19 cases this year, protesters are upset
   about the medical system.
   "There have been demonstrations because of the drugs, because there are
   none, there is nothing in the country," Niurka Rodriguez, a 57-year-old
   rumba singer told AFP, while acknowledging the impact of the U.S.
   embargo.
   People wave Cuban flags during a protest against the Cuban government
   at Versailles Restaurant in Miami, on July 12, 2021.