Iraq protests grow, fuelled by anger and desperation
The staccato thump of teargas being fired resounds in a video of Basra’s protests, scattering young protesters. Some brandish stones, angrily threatening a group of Iraqi security forces positioned to disperse ongoing demonstrations.
Week-long protests have rocked Iraq’s southern Basra province with civilians spilling on to the streets to demand jobs, access to basic services, and economic growth.
“They are firing live ammunition and teargas,” one man said.
Demonstrations in southern Iraq are not unusual in scorching summer weather, but they boiled over last Tuesday, when security forces opened fire, killing one person and wounding five. By Sunday, two more had been killed.
Within days the rallies had spread to other provinces, including Najaf and Karbala. At least 30 were wounded on Saturday night in Karbala, while international flights to Najaf were cancelled.
In some places, protesters broke into government buildings and burnt the offices of political parties, including the offices of the Iran-backed Badr Organisation. Yesterday security
forces began arresting protesters.
“These protests have happened every summer in the south,” said Dr Renad Mansour, a research fellow for Middle East and North Africa at Chatham House.
“What’s different and why it’s political, is that it comes off the elections a few months ago where the low turn-out was an indicator of how disillusioned they are,” he said. “The sense of hopelessness is the guiding light behind these protests.”
A lack of running water and reliable electricity are foremost among the grievances.
Essam Al Sudani, a journalist in Basra, told The National that people were relying on river water for daily use.
“Life at home is difficult, drinking water is provided but there is a need for running water. We are getting water to use daily from the Shatt Al Arab, which you know is basically seawater, and people are getting sick when they shower, eye infections, and other issues,” Mr Al Sudani said.
“Electricity has been worse than last year ... irrigation is impossible, we are unable to plant anything, or grow any food. All the animals are dead and the marshes are all but gone,” he said.
In an attempt to disrupt communication and quash the protests, authorities on Saturday shut internet access for two days. According to Cost of Shutdown Tool, a data-driven programme that estimates the cost of internet disruptions, the shutdown cost Iraq US$40 million (Dh146.9m) a day.
Connection was still unreliable yesterday, with some diaspora Iraqis reporting they had been able to speak to family in Basra for only a few minutes before connections failed.
Also yesterday, officials said that Umm Qasr port in Basra is expected to be fully operational again after it was closed because protesters had blocked the main roads leading to it.
Meanwhile, in Baghdad, hundreds of protesters closed a motorway at the entrance to the city’s north-western Shula neighbourhood, chanting “Iran, out out! Baghdad is free!” and “The people want to overthrow the regime”.
Last week, Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi travelled to Basra to meet leaders.
With protests on Sunday, he chaired a meeting of security and intelligence chiefs in Baghdad, urging them to be on alert “because terrorists want to exploit any event or dispute”.
“Iraqis do not accept chaos, assaults on the security forces, state and private property, and those who do this are vandals who exploit the demands of citizens to cause harm,” he said.
The prime minister also ordered security services not to use live rounds against unarmed protesters.
A US state department official told The National that Washington supported “the right of people to peacefully protest and we support the Iraqi government as it safeguards both that right, and the security of public and private property”.