Protests erupted in the streets of Cuba on Sunday, marking a rare instance of social unrest exacerbated by a fresh wave of blackouts in the financially strained nation.

Social media flooded with posts depicting crowds in Santiago de Cuba, the second-largest city, demanding “corriente y comida” — electricity and food — while authorities observed.

In the communist-led Caribbean nation, protests are typically illegal.

However, public demonstrations of frustration have become more common as the populace grapples with electricity shortages, inflation, and food scarcity, Bloomberg reported.

As images of the protests inundated social platforms, reports surfaced of Internet and mobile service disruptions in various parts of the island.

While unrest seemed widespread in eastern cities, there were no immediate indications of it spreading to the capital, Havana.

Written by B.C. Begley