Iraqi riot police turn water hoses on crowd in latest protest over power outages

Iraqis protest power outages in oil-rich south

BAGHDAD — Riot police used water hoses Monday to disperse an angry crowd protesting lengthy power outages in a southern Iraqi city where soaring temperatures have pushed tensions over electricity to a boiling point.

The protest in the city of Nasiriyah came two days after a similar demonstration turned violent, with two people killed and two wounded after police opened fire in the southern oil hub of Basra.

The unrest has raised concerns that growing public anger over the lack of basic services could jeopardize efforts to stabilize Iraq even as security improves.

Many impoverished Iraqis in the south have been left without air conditioning or fans despite high humidity and summer temperatures that frequently rise above 110 degrees.

Calling for the resignation of Iraq’s electricity minister and other officials, protesters threw rocks and wooden bars and scuffled with security forces as they rushed toward the local government compound in Nasiriyah, according to witnesses and officials.

Riot police then turned the water hoses on the protesters and the demonstration ended without serious injuries, officials said.

Fearing another outburst, government troops stepped up security around government buildings in the city.

Frustration has been heightened by the failure of Iraq’s politicians to form a new government more than three months after parliamentary elections.

Some demonstrators carried chairs they said symbolized the bickering between political factions over government posts. They also bore kerosene lamps and effigies of private generators used to make up for the lack of city power.

Dozens took to the streets in Nasiriyah on Sunday as well but the protest fizzled after several people were detained as authorities try to keep a lid on the tensions.

“We will continue these demonstrations till our demands are met,” said Basil Sabah, 40, an employee in the government education directorate, who was taking part in the demonstration for the second day. “We call upon all Iraqi provinces to stage demonstrations in this electricity revolution.”

Nasiriyah, 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, is a stronghold of followers of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and was the site of heavy clashes between Shiite militias and security forces in the past.

Electricity Ministry spokesman Musab al-Mudaris blamed the lack of power on Nasiriyah officials and other government agencies. He declined to comment on demands for Electricity Minister Karim Waheed to step down.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki dispatched a team to Basra, Iraq’s second-largest city that is located 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, after Saturday’s deadly demonstration.

Al-Maliki’s political rival, former premier Ayad Allawi, has called the Basra protest a spontaneous outpouring of discontent. He called Sunday night on Iraqi security forces to exercise restraint.

His call was in a televised speech broadcast on the private Al-Sharqiyah TV station.

“Regretfully what happened formed a black mark in the march of Iraq toward prosperity and development as well construction and stability,” he said.

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An Associated Press employee in Nasiriyah contributed to this report.