Hundreds of residents took to the streets in Kirkuk, Iraq, blocking major roads and burning tires to protest a hike in electricity prices charged by private generator operators. The price had risen to 18,000 Iraqi dinars per ampere, placing an additional burden on households already paying regular electricity bills. Following an emergency meeting of the Kirkuk Provincial Council, officials agreed to reduce the rate to 13,000 dinars per ampere, but demonstrators said it remained too high. Generator operators, arguing that the reduced rate would cause them financial losses, responded by shutting down their generators, leaving several parts of the city without power. “They left us in the dark this winter,” said protester Almas Enver, while another resident accused generator operators of acting “like a mafia” and refusing to comply with the authorities’ decision.