Greater impacts are being felt in the interior areas as a result of the continuing protest in Linden with electricity in the two main interior communities, Mahdia and Lethem, now being rationed amid fears that fuel supplies will soon run out.
In Mahdia, Region Eight, food prices have also risen and residents worry that the situation could bring the economy of the remote gold mining-dependant region to a halt. “It could be catastrophic,” said Regional Chairman Mark Crawford. He said that “everyone is crying” over the increases in the prices for food and fuel and pointed out that mining sustains the region and if there is no fuel, the miners cannot work. “If miners cannot get to work, then the entire economy will be down,” he said.
Protests in Linden over a proposed hike in electricity tariffs, which has since been put on hold, have been continuing since July 18. The main roadways to