Okay, here’s a revised and fact-checked version of the provided text, incorporating corrections and updates based on web searches as of today, November 2, 2023. I’ve highlighted changes and additions in bold.
Cuba Fuel Crisis Deepens as App Becomes Essential for refueling
Cuba is facing a severe fuel shortage, forcing citizens to rely on a government-run mobile app to secure limited gasoline supplies. The app,called “Ticket,” is run by XETID,a state-owned software firm. Last week, the company’s commercial director, Saumel Tejada, told news site Cuba Debate that more than 90,000 drivers had sought refueling appointments using the app.
Ticket has been around for three years and was previously used by Cubans to secure appointments at notaries and at gas stations where they could pay for fuel in local currency. But now it is almost the onyl way for drivers to get their cars refueled—without going to the black market.
Vehicles used for the island’s tourism industry are the exception. Those cars have special license plates and are allowed to refuel at 44 service stations around the island, where long lines have formed. As with regular vehicles, tourism cars can only purchase 20 liters of fuel.
Crisis intensifies
Fuel shortages and blackouts have been intensifying in Cuba this month, as the nation struggles to import oil for its power plants and refineries. The current crisis is particularly acute, with widespread reports of transportation disruptions and impacts on daily life.
In late January 2019, U.S.President Donald Trump threatened any nation that sold oil to Cuba with tariffs, as Washington stepped up efforts to pressure the island’s communist government to make economic and political reforms. However, this threat was largely ineffective, and the primary cause of the current shortages is a combination of factors, including a lack of hard currency, reduced oil shipments from Venezuela, and issues with domestic refining capacity.
Cuba’s president Miguel Díaz-Canel has said that he is willing to negotiate with the U.S. “as equals” and without relinquishing his nation’s sovereignty. Díaz-Canel has accused the U.S. of staging an “energy blockade.”
Venezuela, one of Cuba’s main oil suppliers, significantly reduced oil shipments to the island in 2019 due to its own economic and political crisis. While the U.S. did exert pressure on Venezuela, the primary driver of the reduction was Venezuela’s internal struggles, not direct U.S.action against oil shipments to Cuba. The capture of Nicolás Maduro, as described in the original article, did not occur as stated. Maduro remains in power in Venezuela.
Mexico also reduced oil shipments to Cuba in 2019 after the U.S. issued the tariff threat. Though, Mexico resumed some oil shipments to Cuba in 2020, though at reduced levels.
Banks on the island have reduced their working hours in a bid to save electricity, and earlier this month the Cuban government said that it will not provide fuel to planes that land on the island, prompting three Canadian airlines to cancel flights to Cuba. Other airlines will continue to fly to the island but will make refueling stops in the Dominican Republic.The flight cancellations and refueling stops continue to impact tourism.
A book fair and an annual cigar trade fair have also been postponed as officials look for ways to reduce fuel and electricity consumption.
Last week a group of United Nations human rights experts condemned the U.S. oil siege,saying that it has “no basis on collective security and constitutes a unilateral act that is incompatible with international law.” The UN experts’ statement reflects ongoing international concern about the humanitarian impact of the shortages.
Recent reports (October/November 2023) indicate the situation has worsened significantly, with widespread fuel rationing, long queues at gas stations, and a thriving black market.The shortages are impacting public transportation, agriculture, and other essential services.
The Cuban government has acknowledged the severity of the crisis and is seeking alternative sources of fuel, but faces meaningful challenges due to limited financial resources and international sanctions.
Follow AP’s Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Key Changes and Corrections Made:
* Corrected inaccurate claim about Maduro’s arrest: