Havana, Jul 13 (IANS): Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has accused the US of attempting to stoke social unrest on the island, where violence broke out in several towns.

The president, who on Sunday called on loyalists "to take to the streets to defend the revolution", appeared on national TV again on Monday, accompanied by members of his cabinet and the politburo of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), reports Xinhua news agency.

Diaz-Canel said he was taking "to clarify that a whole group of interests in recent weeks and in recent hours has tried to discredit the work of the government, to discredit the work of the revolution".

The first secretary of the PCC Central Committee said his appearance had been planned for days to "provide information" to the people about the situation in the country, which is undergoing shortages of food, medicine, and fuel.

Diaz-Canel accused the US of seeking to stoke social unrest in Cuba when the country is experiencing its worst Covid-19 outbreak.

He highlighted the efforts made by the government to tackle the pandemic, particularly in the western province of Matanzas, which has become the epicentre of the outbreak in Cuba.

In response to the unrest and Diaz-Canel's call for solidarity, thousands of Cubans took to the streets on Sunday to show their support for the government.