Electricity protests hit Kirkuk as Najaf security mobilizes
Shafaq News – Kirkuk / Najaf
Crowds in Iraq’s Kirkuk took to the streets on Sunday to demand improvements in basic services, while security forces in Najaf mobilized amid concerns over potential protests.
In Kirkuk, dozens of people in the Kurdistan neighborhood (formerly Fiylaq) gathered to protest frequent power outages and limited electricity supply hours. Protesters blocked the Kirkuk–Dibs road in both directions, bringing traffic to a temporary standstill.
Speaking to Shafaq News, Kirkuk resident Sami Rasheed criticized the toll of the outages on daily life, pointing to the strain placed on the elderly, patients, and local business owners.
“The protest is peaceful and aims to claim a legitimate right,” Rasheed added, urging local authorities and the electricity department to take urgent steps and ensure equitable power distribution.
Another participant, Abdullah Al-Jaf, noted that prolonged outages have become increasingly difficult to endure, particularly as temperatures rise and pressure on the national grid grows. He cautioned that the community seeks lasting remedies rather than short-term measures and warned that demonstrations could intensify if demands remain unanswered.
A security source informed Shafaq News that Kirkuk police formed a cordon around the protest, secured the area, and regulated nearby traffic. Authorities also gathered the demonstrators’ demands and pledged to pass them on to the relevant bodies.
“The demonstration remained peaceful, with no security breaches recorded,” the source added.
Meanwhile, security forces in Najaf mobilized in large numbers in the Al-Nidaa neighborhood after reports indicated plans to block the Najaf–Karbala road to demand basic services.
The deployment followed a protest two days earlier in which hundreds gathered over water, electricity, and sewage problems, chanting slogans calling for assistance to the “afflicted area.”
Najaf, one of Iraq’s holiest cities and home to more than one million people, has seen repeated demonstrations in recent years over similar grievances linked to public services and infrastructure.
