Abadi orders investigation into Basra protests
Thirty members of the security forces were wounded by grenades and incendiary objects being thrown
Jamil Al Shammari, In-charge of security
basra (iraq) — Iraq’s prime minister has ordered an investigation into violent protests in the southern city of Basra that killed and wounded several civilians and security forces.
Basra and other cities have been brewing since July over endemic corruption, soaring joblessness and poor public services.
The protests have often turned violent, with protesters damaging and burning government offices and attacking security forces with stones and Molotov cocktails. The situation exacerbated on Tuesday after a funeral procession for a protester killed the day before.
The security forces guarding the provincial council building fired tear gas and live ammunition on stonethrowing protesters. Three protesters were killed and four others wounded during the confrontations, as well as two policemen were killed and seven others wounded.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Haider Al Abadi expressed regret for the casualties, accusing “those who pour oil on the fire” of endangering the city.
In a statement on Wednesday, the UN special representative to Iraq, Jan Kubis, expressed “grave concern” over events in Basra.
Kubis called for calm and urged authorities “to avoid using disproportionate, lethal force against the demonstrators, provide the necessary protection for the people of Basra, ensure human rights while protecting law and order, and investigate and hold accountable those responsible for the outbreak of the violence”.