Protesters in Cuba ransacked a Communist Party building after a protest over high food prices and persistent power outages, in an unusual display of public dissent.

Five people were arrested after a small group vandalized the offices in the central city of Moron During the night of Friday to Saturday, according to the Cuban Ministry of the Interior (Minint).

Discontent among Cubans has been growing as the island is plagued by rolling blackouts and shortages of food, fuel, and medicine, a situation exacerbated by a prolonged U.S. oil embargo.

The protest came hours after the Havana government confirmed that talks were underway with the United States to “seek solutions through dialogue” regarding the differences between the two countries.

The Embattlement

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel stated on Friday in a national broadcast that the country had not received fuel in the last three months as a result of the U.S. oil embargo.

On Monday, he asserted that Cuba was in “grave trouble,” while threatening a “friendly takeover.” Previously, Trump had said the island would be “next” after the capture of his ally, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in January. Since then, the United States has blocked shipments of Venezuelan oil—which covered about half of Cuba’s energy needs—and threatened to impose tariffs on any country that sells oil to the island nation. This is in addition to a six-decade-long U.S. trade embargo. Havana relies heavily on imported fuel for electricity generation,and the oil embargo has brought Cuba's already battered economy to the brink of collapse.

The crisis has affected garbage collection, hospital emergency services, public transportation, and education.

Demonstrations

Friday's demonstration "initially began peacefully" before turning into "acts of vandalism," according to the state-run newspaper Invasor.

"A smaller group of people stoned the entrance to the building and started a fire in the street using furniture from the reception area."

Other state facilities—including a pharmacy and a government-run market—were also targeted, the outlet added.

Images circulating on social media appear to show stones being thrown through windows as people shout "freedom" and a large bonfire burns in the middle of the street.

The Interior Ministry (Minint) said in a statement that "forces Specialized units were investigating the acts of vandalism.

Public dissent is uncommon in Cuba. While its 2019 Constitution recognizes citizens' right to demonstrate, the law defining the scope of that right is currently stalled in the legislature.

Following the intermittent power outages that have affected the entire country in recent weeks, some Cubans have chosen to protest by banging pots and pans in the streets at night or from their own homes.

The capital, Havana—which has suffered blackouts of up to 15 hours a day—has become the epicenter of the recent protests.

Last week, a group of students gathered at the University of Havana to protest the disruptions to their academic training caused by the worsening energy crisis.