There have been two bits of bad news recently that just might affect Cuba's oil supply.
In Caracas, interim president Juan Guaidó declared a national emergency after the failure of the electricity system, and announced that immediate measures would be taken against Castroist interference in the country. "We are not going to continue funding Cuban interference with our Armed Forces," he tweeted.
Guaidó went directly to the heart of the Venezuelan situation and the center of power that sustains the Maduro regime: Havana.
And pointing at Havana means pointing at oil. He explained what these immediate measures might be: "We have decreed no more oil shipments to Cuba. They will not continue to siphon off money from the people of Venezuela (...), not only do we decree it, but we also request international cooperation to implement this measure."
The Cuban regime is seeking alternatives in case Venezuelan fuel shipments dry up. Algeria is considered an option, but it has become a thorny one since, three weeks ago, popular protests broke out against the re-election of Abdelaziz Buteflika for a fifth presidential term. In fact, these protests have just brought about Buteflika's resignation, the convoking of a national commission, and the postponement of the elections.
Venezuela and Algeria are in jeopardy as allies and privileged economic partners of the regime. For the Cuban people, all this could mean another Special Period. The outages in Caracas could extend to the island, making a popular solution to this regime of blackouts, and corruption, and misery, an emergency.