(Bloomberg) -- The Biden administration warned Cuba’s government that human rights must be respected as social unrest builds on the impoverished, communist-run Caribbean island.

Both sides sharpened their diplomatic rhetoric Monday after hundreds took to the streets in eastern cities over the weekend to protest against shortages of electricity, fuel and food.

“The Cuban government will not be able to meet the needs of its people until it embraces democracy and the rule of law and respects the rights of Cuban citizens,” Brian Nichols, the assistant US secretary of state for the Western hemisphere, said on X.

Earlier Monday, Cuba summoned the head of the US diplomatic mission in Havana for a reprimand, according to a statement from the foreign ministry. 

Social media posts showed crowds of people in Santiago de Cuba, the second-largest city, chanting “corriente y comida” — power and food — as police looked on. Protests were also reported Sunday in Bayamo, Granma and other cities.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel accused “networks of mediocre politicians and terrorists lined up in South Florida” of trying to foment dissent on the island. His country is facing a dire economic crisis that it blames on the trade embargo the US imposed more than a half century ago.

--With assistance from Jim Wyss and Eric Martin.

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