Power outages: Matam faces nights without electricity

Unplanned power cuts, now a daily occurrence, are paralyzing Matam. They are affecting businesses, particularly bakeries, and forcing households to spend nights outdoors, in the middle of the rainy season.

Power outages are now a daily occurrence. In both urban and rural areas, recurring power cuts punctuate the lives of the people of Matam, already suffering from the intense heat of the rainy season.

In the regional capital, power outages usually occur at night and can last for hours. These outages leave rooms empty, as many families are forced to spend the night in the courtyard, sleeping on the bare ground.

In working-class neighborhoods, the situation is even more critical. The cramped living conditions force residents into the streets. On the sidewalks, under the trees, fathers stand guard while women and children try to sleep under the open sky.

"When there is no electricity, we have no choice, we go outside or we die of heat," says Mariama, a mother.

For those living in apartment buildings, without courtyards or open spaces, the ordeal is twofold. Equipped with simple fans, many keep watch outside their homes. Generators, deemed too expensive, remain the preserve of a privileged few. For the rest, there is nothing left to do but wait for the power to return.

On the economic front, professionals are sounding the alarm. In bakeries, nighttime power cuts are causing the dough to collapse. "When we cut the power at 1 a.m., the dough collapses. By 7 a.m., there's no bread," complains Alpha, a baker.

Shopkeepers with freezers share the same concerns. Dame, a fishmonger, says she lost her entire stock of frozen goods after a night without electricity. Beyond the business losses, residents are lamenting the numerous damaged household appliances: refrigerators, fans, computers, and televisions.

"We have never experienced power cuts of such intensity," complain the local residents.