Baghdad: Generators shut down and complete darkness descends on neighborhoods and suburbs of the capital, Baghdad. Darkness descended on large parts of the suburbs and districts east and south of Baghdad in the early hours of Tuesday morning, after most private generators went offline amidst a power outage and a severe heat wave. Residents appealed to the relevant authorities for urgent intervention.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, bloggers and activists reported a complete shutdown of private generators in most areas of Baghdad, including Sadr City, Sabaa Al-Bour, Mahmoudiya, Al-Amin, Baghdad Al-Jadeeda, Al-Baladiyat, Al-Qahira, and Al-Shaab, due to the government’s failure to provide fuel rations to generator owners. This came just hours after the Ministry of Oil announced the distribution of fuel rations to private generator owners at a rate of 35 liters per kilowatt.