Article Author:
The Associated Press
Samya Kullab
BAGHDAD (AP) — Protesters blocked roads as protests erupted in southern Iraq on Monday. Power outages left many without access to electricity during the peak summer heat.
Temperatures reached 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), nearly matching last year's record high. The southern provinces with the hottest heat waves in Iraq have suspended work hours.
Last week, the Ministry of Electricity announced a state of alert in anticipation of blackouts due to rising temperatures.
In the oil-rich province of Basra, dozens of people took to the streets for his third consecutive day, burning tires and blocking the main road to the capital, threatening the powers. protested against cut
Amid protests against power outages in the south, followers of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr staged a sit-in outside the Iraqi parliament to demand early elections. From entered his ninth day.
Many protesters in Basra said they supported al-Sadr's protests and demands and were fed up with rampant government corruption. Protests in the south are common in the summer. In 2018, protests against lack of basic services turned into riots. In 2019, they paved the way for large-scale anti-government demonstrations in the capital.
"This is not the first time we will protest, nor will it be the last time," said Al Hussein, 35, in Basra. "We continue to protest against very basic demands of electricity and water," Hussein said of the
saddle.
Protests erupted after power grids collapsed in six of his southern states due to excessive demand from high temperatures. Basra Governor Asaad Al Eidani said the recent blackout was due to a fire at a power plant.
In the holy city of Najaf, an armory exploded in the heat. It belonged to the People's Mobilization Forces, a network of state-sanctioned militias.
Protesters began a sit-in at 3 a.m. Monday morning, growing frustrated and unable to sleep in the heat without electricity.
Iraq depends on neighboring Iran for nearly a third of its summer peak energy needs. Iraq is the largest oil exporter and has the resources to meet its energy needs, but it lacks the infrastructure investment necessary to secure natural gas resources.
