Protesters in Dhi Qar's Nasiriyah block roads over power cuts

DHI QAR, Iraq — Hundreds of residents took to the streets of Nasiriyah, in Iraq's Dhi Qar province, on Friday evening to protest prolonged electricity outages, setting up barricades of burning tires across central roads including the Mansuriyah intersection, a local reporter said. Demonstrators demanded immediate government action to resolve the supply disruptions and warned that protests would escalate if the problems were not addressed. The demonstrations in Nasiriyah follow a similar protest on Monday in Faw, a district in eastern Dhi Qar, where residents also blocked roads with burning tires in response to poor power supply. Reporting on the latest unrest, the local outlet noted that protesters in some areas called for the dismissal of the Dhi Qar electricity director. Iraq's national grid has struggled to meet demand for years, with frequent outages during the summer months when temperatures regularly exceed 45°C. No further details on the outcome of the Friday protests were immediately available.