Jiyyeh, Beirut, Lebanon - Angry protests against repeated electricity cuts in various parts of the country

dailystar lebanon

21/02/2012 - BEIRUT: Hundreds protested Saturday against repeated electricity cuts in Jiyyeh, Chouf, while 50 people blocked the main road leading to Beirut’s airport with burning tires.

In the Chouf region, upon the request of heads of municipalities and officials, protesters gathered in front of the Jiyyeh power plant carrying signs that said: "Leave, minister of darkness," and "The days of the war are better than your days."

Demonstrators also burned tires in front of the plant and blocked its main entrance.

Meanwhile in Beirut, Lebanese Army personnel and Internal Security Forces launched efforts to reopen the road to Rafik Hariri International Airport, blocked by some 50 men protesting poor electricity provision.

Severe electricity cuts fueled several protests Friday as residents and lawmakers staged a sit-in in the mountain town of Aley and small groups of protesters blocked roads in the south of the country.

Civil society groups and local officials from the districts of Aley and Upper Metn gathered near Aley’s Serail to protest severe power cuts and inadequate supplies of diesel in the region.

Energy and Water Minister Jibran Bassil has warned that the country will witness more electricity cuts, adding that he has submitted several emergency plans to Cabinet in a bid to temporarily resolve the crisis.

“I have warned that the situation will deteriorate and I stated that electricity cuts would increase even more and that the production process would worsen,” Bassil told Al-Joumhouria newspaper in an article published Tuesday. 

Upon the request of heads of municipalities and officials of the Chouf region, the protesters gathered in front of the Jiyyeh power plant carrying signs that said: "Leave, minister of darkness," and "The days of the war are better than your days."

Protesters also burnt tires in front of the plan and blocked its main entrance.