Protesters block roads in Diwaniya over power shortages

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Residents of Iraq’s Diwaniya province blocked roads with burning tires to protest chronic electricity shortages, according to local reporting. Demonstrations took place in the southern areas of Sedir and Affec, where protesters closed the main route between Sedir town and Diwaniya city to traffic. The same road connecting Diwaniya to Najaf had been shut on Saturday for the same reason, also using burning tires, the report said. Demonstrators are demanding a larger share of the province’s electricity supply and shorter outage hours. Power cuts in the area have recently stretched beyond five hours, while grid-supplied energy has fallen to as little as one hour at a time, according to the report. Protests have continued for two days across different parts of Diwaniya.