Havana: The US State Department on Monday designated 10 Cuban entities, accusing them of financing the Cuban government and enabling repression against civilians.

According to Anadolu Agency, the sanctions, imposed under Executive Order 14404, target armed civilian groups, state-owned trading and energy firms, and organizations the department says surveil dissidents on behalf of Havana. Among those designated were the Milicias de Tropas Territoriales, a paramilitary force under Cuba's Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, and the Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution, which Washington accuses of monitoring dissidents for Cuba's Interior Ministry.

Also blacklisted was Corporacion Antillana Exportadora, which the department alleges manages the export of Cuban forced labor to Angola on behalf of state conglomerate GAESA, along with the Rapid Response Brigades, described by Washington as armed civilian groups trained by the government. The department also designated state energy firms Enetec S.A. and Coreydan S.A., along with the trade group Gecomex, the holding company Caudal, the maritime firm Gemar, and the Tourism Ministry, which it called the "largest single player in the tourism sector outside of GAESA."

The action follows Secretary of State Marco Rubio's July 11 statement marking five years since Cuba's 2021 protests, in which he said the US would keep using "every tool" against the government. Meanwhile, Cuba grapples with its worst economic crisis in decades, including severe fuel shortages and repeated power failures.

Official media reported that the economy contracted sharply in the first half of 2026, while average daily power outages have reached 20 hours, and the electricity deficit climbed to 1,955 megawatts. Authorities have blamed much of the deterioration on tighter US measures, saying Washington has disrupted oil supplies, pressured companies doing business with Cuba, and restricted the island's access to international credit and financing.

The White House said on May 1 that President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing new sanctions on Cuban officials and entities, citing repression and threats to US national security and foreign policy. In January, Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency and establishing a mechanism to impose tariffs on goods from countries that sell or supply oil to Cuba, according to the White House.