A group of children aged 10-15 started an impromptu march Saturday night protesting the prolonged electricity cut in their village in the Egyptian governorate of Qena.

The children began protesting that night because the electricity was switched on while President Morsi was visiting the city and was switched off just as the president left.

"Morsi don't leave, we had electricity when you were here" chanted the children, as well as: "We want electricity!"

"The march was unplanned, after we saw the electricity came back when the president was visiting and went out immediately after he left. We're spending Ramadan nights by the light of torches" Ahmed Rashad, a 15-year-old protester, told Al Ahram Arabic-language news portal.

President Morsi visited the governorates of Qena and Luxor in Upper Egypt on Friday where he performed the Friday noon prayers in a mosque in Qena and gave a speech in the same mosque afterwards.

Egyptians have been suffering an increasing number of power cuts in recent weeks, which have sparked protests in various governorates across the country.

Power cuts in Cairo and other major cities can last up to 90 minutes and occur every couple of days.

Villages, however, see more frequent power cuts that can last five hours, if not more. Electricity cuts in some villages in relatively poor Nile governorate of Qena, in particular, extend for up to 18 hours in a day.

The power cuts combined with the summer heat and the fasting month of Ramadan creates a highly debilitating effect for many people - including kids.

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