Germany warned Tuesday against any non-essential travel to Cuba, where an oil crisis has been caused by US pressure.
Following the detention of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro by US soldiers last month, the Caribbean nation is still in shock over the US-ordered suspension of oil imports from Caracas.
“Cuba is facing an acute energy crisis, which is also being compounded by widespread dilapidated energy infrastructure,” the German foreign ministry said in the advisory.
The country is facing “significant shortages in energy and fuel supplies, which are affecting all areas of life” including medical care, it said.
The bulletin also noted that aircraft from abroad can currently not be refuelled in Cuba, “resulting in significant restrictions on flight operations”, and that “several hotels have already been closed”.
“Public transport, street lighting, traffic lights, cash machines, communication and security systems are already severely restricted or may fail,” it said.
With power plants fighting to keep the lights on, the oil shortages have threatened to throw Cuba into total darkness.
The Cuban government has declared emergency measures, such as restricting the sale of petroleum and imposing a four-day workweek on state-owned enterprises.
Due to an unreliable fuel supply at Cuban airports, Air Canada said on Monday that it was discontinuing flights to the island nation.
Havana has accused Trump of wanting to “strangle” the island’s economy, where power cuts and fuel shortages, already recurrent in recent years, have become even more acute.
