Two people were killed in southern Iraq as protests spread

Basra (Iraq) (AFP) – Two more protesters were killed in southern Iraq, officials said, as anti-unemployment protests spread Saturday between the port city of Basra and Libya. 39 other parts of the country, including Baghdad. to curb unrest by declaring a curfew in Basra province, while Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced new funds and pledges for investment in the southern region

. the number of demonstrators killed since the demonstrations erupted Sunday in the neighboring region of Basra.

A spokesman for Maysan's health authorities, Ahmad al-Kanani, said the two men were shot and wounded in the provincial capital Amarah. who killed them but Kanani said that there had been "indiscriminate gunfire" in the city.

Dozens of others were injured last week, including security forces, according to medical sources.

The unrest comes as Iraq struggles to rebuild after a devastating three-year war against Islamic State group jihadists and with the country in political limbo after the May elections.

Unemployment protests, rising cost of living and a lack of services exploded after a protester was killed by security forces on Sunday in Basra.

Protesters set fire to tires to block roads and attempted to storm government facilities

Abadi went to Basra However, even as he was meeting the governor of the oil-rich province and the energy chiefs, protesters took to the streets of Basra city, as well as to other parts of the province, and unrest spread further. During the night from Friday to Saturday in Maysan, several demonstrations took place in front of the headquarters of various political parties – including the Dawa party of Abadi – and some were set on fire, the Iraqi media reported.

A small protest also took place after midnight in the Al-Shula district, north of Baghdad, amid a large deployment of security forces, a security source in Baghdad said.

. Few protesters were still in the streets of Al-Shula on Saturday morning, adding that the protest was peaceful.

Unidentified calls were also posted on social networks for mbadive protests that will take place Saturday in Baghdad.

protesters head for the Fortified Green Zone, a no-go zone for most Iraqis where the country's main institutions and embbadies are located, including the US and British missions.

On Saturday, dozens of protesters gathered in different parts of Basra. An AFP correspondent said:

Protesters gathered at the port of Umm Qasr in Basra and outside the governor's office in the center of the city. A group of protesters also staged a brief demonstration at the Safwan border crossing with neighboring Kuwait.

On Saturday, protesters in the city of Basra attempted to set fire to the office of the Badr organization backed by Iran.

After this incident, the authorities announced a night curfew throughout the province.

Abadi announced for its part Saturday evening investments of 3 billion dollars (2.6 billion euros) for the province of Basra, as well as promises of spending.

Shiite clerics, including Moqtada Sadr, whose populist coalition triumphed in the May elections, supported the protesters but urged them to refrain from violence.

Sadr sought to form a broad coalition with his rivals. Abadi, but the process was complicated by the fact that the Supreme Court orders the recount of textbooks in areas where the election was contested.

After visiting Basra, the premier chai Baghdad security office said in a statement that he accused "infiltrators" of being fed "peaceful protests aimed at attacking public property and private ".

"Our forces will take all necessary measures to counter these people" The communique states:

Officially, 10.8% of Iraqis are unemployed, while youth unemployment is twice as high in a country where 60% of the population is under 24 years old.