BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq’s main seaport Umm Qasr reopened on Saturday at 3 a.m. (0000 GMT) and all operations have resumed after protesters left the port’s entrance, port employees and government sources in the area said.

All operations had been halted since Thursday, after protesters blocked the port’s entrance.

Umm Qasr, 60 km (40 miles) south of Basra, receives grain, vegetable oil and sugar shipments that feed a country largely dependent on imported food.