[ad_1]
BASRA, Iraq – Protesters in this port city stormed the Iranian consulate last Friday, setting it on fire and violent demonstrations intensified, which began on miserable living conditions, but turned into an accusation against the country. stagnant politics of Iraq.
The consulate was the latest symbol of being cut off by demonstrators in Basra for a week of protests, raising fears that Iran, which controls several powerful militias in the oil-rich city, may not respond to the unrest.
The attack on the consulate also undermined the notions of solidarity between the Shia heart of Iraq and Iran, the preeminent Shiite power in the region. The aggression has contributed to the growing sense that Iraq is entering a period of dangerous instability as powerful political parties continue to fight for the composition of the country's next government.
Protesters said they targeted the consulate to express their frustrations over the abuses committed by Iran-backed militias in the city, as well as what they see as Tehran's disproportionate influence on their city and the city. fractured policy of Baghdad.
The protesters complained that the militias are rife in Basra, kidnap and extort their opponents and create an atmosphere of fear. They said Iran had given the militias the power to enrich themselves at the expense of the city's inhabitants.
"Iran has destabilized Basra with its armed gangs," said Sattar Hamdi, 50, a laborer. "They have the upper hand here and with the politicians in Baghdad. I call on any foreign country, even Israel, for help because we have already lost Iraq to Iran. "
Protests over lack of clean water and electricity in the hot summer months began in early July in Basra and other Shiite-dominated cities, but have escalated in recent days. in May.
Iran and the United States have been deeply involved in the political stalemate, supporting every rival faction that claims a parliamentary majority and the right to appoint a new prime minister.
Basra residents have accused the Iraqi political class of abandoning them, ignoring the people's appeals for help as politicians vie for control of a new government. They expressed their dissatisfaction by burning down the headquarters of almost all political parties in the city, as well as offices belonging to Shiite militias that won parliamentary seats in the May elections.
New graffiti outside the destroyed offices of the powerful Badr organization, an Iran-aligned party whose main leaders include the Iraqi Interior Minister, announced: "We demand blood".
Groups of young men surrounded the closed Consulate compound as the sun set on Friday, crossing police checkpoints as they made their way through the empty building and set it on fire.
Protesters rose on September 7, 2018 on concrete walls during an anti-government demonstration near the building housing Iraqi government offices in Basra (Alaa al-Marjani / Reuters).
Dozens of people lingered afterwards, taking photos and videos of the burning consulate as the police stood there – talking or joking with the young protesters.
A police officer repelled an attack against the consulate on Thursday night but was overwhelmed by the growing number of young men on Friday, an officer said. He said he was reluctant to fire his gun on protesters after at least eight were shot in other demonstrations this week, denouncing widespread condemnation by the government, the UN and human rights groups.
"Visa services are officially suspended," said one of the protesters while filming the flames and plumes of smoke with his mobile phone.
"Are we going to get the Turkish consulate next?", Replied a friend.
A group of protesters gathered around a young man who was holding papers that he said he stole from a council building that was supposed to show thousands of dollars in allowances to various city officials.
"We give them a fortune, but we can not even get clean taps," the man shouted.
The Iraqi Ministry of Health said on Thursday that 6,280 people were made sick by Basra's water, which residents said was too salty to be drunk or cleaned.
The protesters had been forced to act because of the city's unsafe water and crumbling infrastructure, noting that Basra was Iraq's main oil export center but that it remained one of the least developed in the country.
After Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's government failed to respond to their demands in July, protesters began to mobilize against endemic Iraqi corruption and political figures who have dominated the country since the US invasion. in 2003.
Hussein Hatem, 33, a welder, said the fire at the Iranian consulate was a message to the Iranian and Iraqi leaders that Basra "belongs to no one".
"Our government takes control of Iran," he said. "And nobody takes care of us. We lost patience. They are trying to form the largest bloc in parliament and they can not meet the most basic demand for clean water. "
The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the attack on the consulate, saying the attack is detrimental to Iraq's interests and unrelated to protesters' demands for basic services and water drinking.
This was the last security problem for the department in two days. Late Thursday, three mortar shells landed in an empty field near the US embassy in the fortified Green Zone of Baghdad without causing injuries. No group claimed responsibility for the incident.
Meanwhile, Basra sets a new pace.
During the day, various groups of demonstrators, many of them women, sing against government corruption and unemployment, occupying important squares and boulevards to demonstrate peacefully.
As the day progresses into the night, large columns of 20- and 20-year-old men invade the streets, stopping traffic as they walk quickly or run on the symbol of government power they can find to vandalize them.
In addition to daytime demonstrations and nocturnal disturbances, locals go about their business, sitting in cafes sipping cafes or shops in well-lit shops. They sometimes abandon themselves to make room for men chanting slogans such as out! "And" If we die, we will die, as long as the nation survives. "
Read more:
Deadly demonstrations raging in Iraq due to lack of services, dead ends of political transition
How Moqtada al-Sadr went from an anti-American outlaw to a potential king in Iraq
US sanctions against Iran hit unexpected target: ordinary Iraqis
The current coverage of postal correspondents around the world
Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay informed about foreign news
[ad_2]Source link
