Venezuela Records Over 4,000 Protests in 2026 Amid Electricity Blackouts in Most Dangerous Countries
Civil unrest linked to civil protests, electricity blackouts, and political demands has surged in multiple countries in 2026, with over 4,000 protests recorded in Venezuela alone between January and August amid a deepening energy crisis in most dangerous countries.
Venezuela's Electricity Crisis Ignites Widespread Nighttime Protests
Residents in cities including Turmero, Valencia, Maracaibo and others have blocked roads at night to protest extended power outages lasting 6-15 hours daily, with the Observatorio Venezolano de Conflictividad Social documenting upwards of 4,000 protests from January to August 2026, averaging 22 daily in August. [2] Yanira, a 33-year-old artist and designer who lives with her ailing 73-year-old father in Maracaibo, explained that yesterday there was no electricity for 11 hours and the day before it was seven hours. [2] In a region where temperatures remain high throughout much of the year, going without electricity is more than an inconvenience, directly affecting health, work and daily routines. [2] Across the country, increasingly long and unpredictable blackouts are disrupting work, education, businesses and sleep. [2] In August, residents of various cities, including Turmero and Valencia, took to the streets at night to protest the worsening situation as authorities expanded electricity rationing in response to growing pressure on the country’s fragile power grid. [2] The crisis is particularly severe outside Caracas, where scheduled outages lasting between six and 15 hours a day have been reported in several regions. [2] Authorities have also introduced shorter working hours for some public sector employees and reached an agreement with shopping malls to reduce electricity consumption. [2] The government has attributed the worsening shortages in part to the effects of El Niño, which has brought drought and unusually high temperatures to Venezuela, along with a major failure at Guri Hydroelectric plant where one of its turbines that generated 770MW collapsed. [2] Venezuela’s power system has suffered from years of underinvestment, poor maintenance and allegations of corruption. [2] According to Venezuela’s 2025 Living Conditions Survey, only around 10 percent of Venezuelans live without experiencing power outages. [2] The National Chamber of Commerce reported that 38 percent of businesses had closed during the year amid the combined effects of the electricity crisis and the country’s broader economic difficulties. [2] In Puertos de Altagracia, Sara Hernández works at a company that sells bottled drinking water and notes that even with access to a generator, keeping the business running during outages is difficult because fuel is not always available. [2] In Maracay, resident Kellys Gallardo receives daily text messages from the state electricity company, Corpoelec, warning her about planned outages, but the messages sometimes arrive only after the power has been cut. [2] Her children are also affected when electricity rationing disrupts their schools. [2] In the Barquisimeto dialysis unit, a lack of power left 42 kidney patients without treatment. [2] Venezuela has an installed generation capacity of approximately 30,000 megawatts but currently produces less than half of that amount. [2] In June, authorities signed an agreement with U.S.-based General Electric to restore 1,000MW of generating capacity over two years, with plans for an additional 5,000MW over the following four years. [2] Another agreement involving the Tocoma hydroelectric project, which began construction in 2007 but was never completed, was also announced. [2]
Pro-Life Groups Demonstrate Against Ogun Abortion Bill
Protesters block a road at night during electricity blackout demonstrations in Venezuela. — Source: france24
In Ogun State, Nigeria, the AYUBSON Life Foundation organized a peaceful protest in Abeokuta urging Governor Dapo Abiodun to reject the Ogun State Safe Termination of Pregnancy Law 2026, arguing it undermines protection of unborn children and that the state lacks authority to legalize abortion under federal law. [1] A non-profit organisation, AYUBSON Life Foundation, on Thursday staged a peaceful protest in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, urging Governor Dapo Abiodun to withhold his assent to the proposed Ogun State Safe Termination of Pregnancy Law, 2026. [1] The state House of Assembly had in September passed a bill titled “H.B. No. 036/OG/2026 – Ogun State Safe Termination of Pregnancy Law, 2026.” [1] The bill seeks to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality, promote safe motherhood and reproductive health rights, and establish conditions for the safe termination of pregnancy in accordance with legal indications and for connected purposes. [1] The protesters expressed opposition to the bill, which they said could undermine the protection of unborn children, and called on the state government to prioritise support for pregnant women and families facing difficult circumstances. [1] Some of the inscriptions on their placards read: “Say No to Abortion, Say Yes to Life”; “Protect Unborn Babies, Support Families”; “Choose Life, Not Abortion”; “Our Children, Our Future: Protect Them”; “They Deserve a Chance to Live”; and “Together for a Life-Friendly Ogun State.” [1] Speaking with journalists during the protest, the founder and director of AYUBSON Life Foundation, Yusuf Ayuba, said the organisation was committed to protecting unborn children and promoting a culture that values human life. [1] He said, “We are here to express our concerns about the Pregnancy Termination Bill passed by the Ogun State House of Assembly in September 2026. We understand that the bill is awaiting the governor’s assent before it can be fully implemented in the state. We are saying no to this bill. We believe that abortion is prohibited under Nigeria’s existing laws, and we question whether the state has the authority to legalise what we consider to be illegal at the federal level. Even in cases involving crisis pregnancies, I do not believe abortion is the best option or the solution. Women need support. Those experiencing crisis pregnancies need medical care, practical assistance, counselling and guidance. We are appealing to the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, not to sign or implement the Pregnancy Termination Bill. We believe that it will cause more harm than good.” [1] The foundation’s director urged Abiodun to reject the bill, arguing that the government should concentrate on addressing challenges such as poverty, hunger and unemployment while strengthening support systems for women and families. [1] Also speaking, the President of the National Association of Ogun State Students at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Badekale Abdullai, expressed support for the campaign, calling on the state government to consider the concerns raised by the foundation. [1]
Paris Enforces Curfew After Weekend Unrest
French authorities imposed a nightly curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. in certain areas until Monday morning following weekend violence and looting, while a student protest went ahead after a court overturned a police ban. [3] The curfew has been extended in certain areas of Paris, every night from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. until Monday morning. [3] The measure has been in force since the violence and looting of the weekend, according to an order from the Paris police prefecture published Thursday. [3] A Paris protest Thursday organised by students who had held four weeks of protests before the October 17 rallies went ahead with hundreds attending after a police ban was overturned by an emergency court injunction. [3]
Ladakh Administration Links Activist to Prior Violence in Land Dispute
In Ladakh, India, authorities accused climate activist Sonam Wangchuk of inciting violence on September 24, 2025 in Leh that killed four and injured scores during protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status, using this to defend cancellation of land allotment for his Himalayan Institute of Alternatives. [4] Ladakh authorities have accused Sonam Wangchuk’s institute of occupying govt land in Leh without paying dues, telling the HC of J&K and Ladakh that its allotment had automatically lapsed in 2019 and arguing that the climate activist’s stature and accolades could not justify granting it legal rights. [4] The claims have been made in an affidavit filed on Wednesday in which Wangchuk is also accused of inciting violence in Leh on Sept 24, 2025 in which four people were killed and scores injured in alleged police firing on protesters demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for the Union territory of Ladakh. [4] Wangchuk is also a member of Leh Apex Body, one of the organisations spearheading the demands and holding talks with the Centre on autonomy. [4] In the 136-page affidavit, the administration defended its Aug 2025 order cancelling the land allotment of the Wangchuk-founded Himalayan Institute of Alternatives. [4] The administration cited what it called the activist’s disregard for the law and said the institute had failed to pay the mandatory premium or execute a lease deed within the stipulated period. [4] The affidavit was filed on an HIAL plea challenging the cancellation of the land allotment. [4] The affidavit mentions Wangchuk’s alleged role in the violence of Sept last year. [4] The Union ministry of home affairs, in its official statement of the same date, stated that the mob was incited by Sonam Wangchuk through his provocative statements, who was misleading the people through provocative mention of Arab Spring-style protest and references to Gen Z protests in Nepal, the affidavit states. [4] On the land, the affidavit claims a 40-year lease covering over 1,076 kanals lapsed by operation of law on May 5, 2019, and last year’s cancellation order merely recorded that consequence and directed correction of revenue records. [4] The affidavit accuses HIAL of devoting more than 250 pages of its petition to awards, accolades and its founder’s eminence to claim equitable consideration while continuing a decades-long pattern of occupying govt land without paying dues. [4]
Humanitarian Needs Rise in Mozambique After Conflict Displacement
In northern Mozambique, families returning after fleeing conflict-related insecurity in provinces including Cabo Delgado and Nampula have faced loss of belongings and require humanitarian aid, with 1.1 million people needing assistance across affected districts. [5] José, a 58-year-old resident of Memba District, Nampula, had sought refuge in neighbouring Erati District and said upon return, “We found nothing when we came back.” [5] Many of the belongings and assets his family depended on were no longer there, and he had to borrow things from neighbours to start over. [5] José lives with glaucoma, which makes it difficult for him to move around and carry out some daily activities. [5] Across Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Niassa provinces, conflict has disrupted livelihoods and access to essential services. [5] The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan estimates that 1.1 million people require humanitarian assistance across conflict-affected districts in the three provinces. [5] Through the project Juntos Unidos por uma Causa Humanitária, the Conselho Cristão de Moçambique, launched in April 2026, is providing food assistance and water, sanitation and hygiene support in Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Sofala provinces. [5] The six-month project of US$1 million is part of a $77.8 allocation from the Mozambique Humanitarian Fund and has already reached nearly 20,000 people with emergency food and water, sanitation and hygiene assistance. [5] José received rice, maize flour, oil, sugar, salt, soap and buckets, and said, “This support really helped me because I have difficulty moving around.” [5]
Broader Pattern of Global Civil Unrest in Most Dangerous Countries in 2026
The year 2026 saw a significant surge in both the frequency and widespread nature of civil unrest across Venezuela, with the Observatorio Venezolano de Conflictividad Social documenting upwards of 4,000 protests between January and August, a figure that OVCS coordinator Marco Antonio Ponce noted is triple the amount seen in earlier comparable timeframes. [2] Daily demonstrations averaged 22 in August alone, with persistent electricity blackouts ranking among the public’s primary grievances. [2] In Ogun State, Nigeria, protesters took to the streets on Thursday to express opposition to the Pregnancy Termination Bill. [1] In Paris, the curfew measure has been in force since the violence and looting of the weekend. [3] In Ladakh, authorities accused Sonam Wangchuk of inciting violence in Leh on Sept 24, 2025. [4]
What to watch next: Authorities in Venezuela signed an agreement with U.S.-based General Electric to restore 1,000MW of generating capacity over two years, while the Mozambique Humanitarian Fund allocation has already reached nearly 20,000 people with emergency assistance.
