Two dead in mass protests Iraq against corruption

Protesters from southern Iraq took to the streets Sunday for the seventh consecutive day to demonstrate against corruption and unemployment, among other things. Especially in Basra, the second largest city in Iraq, is vigorously demonstrated. The city is located in a poor but oil-rich region and protesters are angry to see nothing of these oil profits, writes Reuters.

In the city of As-Samawah, two people were killed on Sunday. Nothing is known about the circumstances of their death. At the same time, hundreds of protesters stormed a government building in Basra. In addition, warning shots were released and 48 wounded.

In the direction of oil fields around Basra, protesters blocked roads where police used water guns and tear gas to disperse them. People in the capital, Baghdad, also moved to Tahrirplein central square, but there were no casualties. In some parts of the country, the internet was closed Sunday to try to quell the unrest.

Breakdown: Protesters enter the Najaf International Airport, an anti-corruption demonstration is currently taking place in southern Iraq pic.twitter.com/66QdwAJK7M

] – Steven nabil (@thestevennabil) July 13, 2018

Because the demonstrations around the oil fields are taking place, anti-terrorist units have been deployed, writes the Al Jazeera news website. Especially in the south of the country, there is a lot of dissatisfaction about poverty and unemployment.

Despite the fact that southern regions are responsible for the vast majority of oil exports, Iraqis in the south of the country are poor and do not have access to clean water. The power also falls regularly and there is a lot of trash in the street, according to Al Jazeera.

The voice of the ordinary man & # 39;

It may be assumed that the head of the Shiite militia Moqtada al-Sadr is partly behind the protests. Since the US invasion of 2003, Shiites are ruling in Iraq. But ordinary Shiite life has not improved.

Al-Sadr, who fought the Americans, has been trying for a while to reinvent himself as the voice of ordinary people, tired of corruption. In 2016, he massively sent his supporters into the green zone to demand a government of technocrats (instead of political appointments). Many Iraqis are the generation of politicians who have ruled the country since 2003.

After the last elections in May, al-Sadr surprisingly took the position of maker of kings allowing him to Affirm its political influence to determine the follow-up. Prime Minister Abadi had overestimated what the victory over the Islamist state (IS) would bring him politically; many people were finally angry at the corruption, the maladministration, that they were happy about the victory over the IS. Ali al-Sistani, the spiritual leader of the Shiites, also supported the demonstration

Formation

The demonstrations are taking place in an exciting time for Iraq, as a government is currently forming there. Some of the votes cast in May need to be recounted before training can begin. Presumably, Al-Sadr will benefit from the unrest and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's position will be further weakened. However, Mr Al-Sadr has already announced Sunday that he will make money available for drinking water and better health care in the south.