Thousands in Cuba rally for Raul Castro to protest US indictment
Thousands of people are protesting outside the US embassy in Havana to show their support for Raul Castro.

Thousands of people are protesting outside the US embassy in Havana to show their support for Raul Castro.





![Cuba's former President Raul Castro claps during a ceremony marking the 69th anniversary of the July 26, 1953 rebel assault which late Cuban leader Fidel Castro led on the Moncada army barracks, in Cienfuegos, Cuba, July 26, 2022. [Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/image-1779310667.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)



As its blockade causes a fuel crisis in Cuba, the US is offering aid but only if it can dictate Cuba’s future.

Cuba struggles to keep the lights on, as Washington ramps up economic pressure and military threats.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel says country is not a threat, but will defend itself from aggression if necessary.

Cubans lit fires in Havana’s streets to protest electricity blackouts.
The potential charges relate to Cuba’s 1996 downing of humanitarian planes, US media outlets report.
The comments came as a US delegation led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe met Cuban officials in Havana on Thursday.
Cuba faced nationwide disruption after officials say the country had completely run out of diesel and fuel oil.
Large parts of eastern Cuba were plunged into darkness in the latest round of nationwide electricity shutdowns.
Amid an oil blockade against the island, the US blames Cuba’s communist leadership for ‘standing in the way’ of aid.

US President Donald Trump has called Cuba ‘a failed nation’, as his administration expands its pressure campaign.