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BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) – Iraq's main port was closed on Thursday following clashes between protesters and security forces in the nearby town of Basra, in which one protester died and 25 others were wounded the night before.
Iraqi soldiers are seen at the port of Umm Qasr after its closure by protesters south of Basra, Iraq, on September 6, 2018. REUTERS / Essam al-Sudani
Southern Iraq, home to the country's majority Shiite, has been in turmoil in recent weeks, as protesters rage over infrastructure collapse, power cuts and corruption.
Port employees said all operations had stopped Thursday morning in the port of Umm Qasr – the main lifeline for imports of grain and other commodities that feed the country – after protesters blocked the Entrance. Trucks and staff were unable to enter or exit the complex.
Authorities announced that a curfew on the citywide scale would be in place after 3 pm local time but canceled at the time of its entry into force. A senior security source told Reuters that a massive deployment of security forces – including members of the Rapid Response Team – would be on patrol in Basra to impose a curfew and impose calm.
Residents of Basra, a town of more than 2 million people, claim that the water supply has been contaminated with salt, leaving them vulnerable and desperate during the hot summer months. Hundreds of people were hospitalized for having consumed them.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Health said at a press conference in Baghdad that 6280 people had recently been hospitalized for diarrhea because of the supercharged water.
Protesters began Wednesday blocking the entrance to the port of Umm Qasr, located about 60 km from Basra. They also blocked the Basra highway in Baghdad and set fire to the main building of the provincial government where they were demonstrating for a third night.
Public anger has increased at a time when politicians are struggling to form a new government after inconclusive legislative elections in May. Southerners complain of decades of neglect in the region that produces most of Iraq's oil wealth.
Political figures, engaged in negotiations on the formation of the government in Baghdad, rushed to respond to the intensification of the crisis, condemning the inaction of competitors.
WITHOUT DIGNITY
Outgoing Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday convened a meeting of the emergency cabinet to discuss the unrest and ordered the Interior Ministry to conduct an immediate investigation into the protest.
At a press conference on Thursday, Moqtada al-Sadr, a Shia populist cleric whose electoral bloc came top in the May national elections, called for an urgent parliamentary televised session to discuss of the crisis in Basra or dignity ".
The second largest city in Iraq, Basra, is a stronghold of Sadr who has become an anti-corruption activist and has allied with Abadi.
The prime minister said he would be ready to attend a meeting of parliament with ministers and officials concerned to try to find a solution.
Parliament met for the first time on Monday, but failed to elect a speaker as scheduled, postponing its next meeting until 15 September.
On Wednesday, security forces sprayed tear gas and fired in an attempt to disperse protesters. According to health sources, the dead protester was hit in the head by a smoke grenade during clashes.
The death of Wednesday night has made seven the total number of protesters killed in clashes since Monday and dozens more were injured. Dozens of members of the security forces were also wounded in violence, some with a hand grenade, local health and safety officials said.
Reports made by Aref Mohammed to Basra and Raya Jalabi in Erbil; written by Raya Jalabi; edited by Jason Neely and David Stamp
