Move FM Global News

BASRA, Iraq – For months now, Iraq’s southern port city of Basra has been witnessing a wave of anti-government sentiment, that has resulted in increasingly violent mass demonstrations that has claimed several lives. 

The oil-rich country, which has been facing an interestingly complicated political crisis, is now witnessing an even more dangerous threat – Erupting masses that are fuming over the lack of basic public services. 

Even as it attempts to recover after many years of war, the Iraqi government has failed to deliver of the several promises made to the masses – to deliver basic provisions for survival, including clean water, sanitation and electricity.   

The residents of Iraq’s southern oil hub of Basra, who have been staging demonstrations for months, blame corruption for the abysmal state of government services.

Demonstrators in Basra have staged protests outside government buildings and huge oil companies, raising concerns over the lack of jobs and basic services.

The city, like many other parts of the country has been facing chronic electricity cuts, pollution, dirty drinking water, water shortages for sanitation and lack of jobs.

Anger amongst the masses peaked during the summer, when temperatures reached 50 degrees Celsius – making citizens miserable.

Further, the prolonged water shortages this year from drought and dams built by neighbouring countries added to their suffering.

The country’s southern region has repeatedly locked horns with the government over its failure to address rising unemployment.

Iraq’s oil sector, which currently accounts for 89 percent of the state budget and 99 percent of the country’s export revenues  – offers only one percent of jobs for Iraqis as the majority of positions are filled by foreigners.

Currently, 10.8 percent of Iraqis are jobless according to official figures.

Further, youth unemployment is twice as high in Iraq – which has emerged as another huge concern since 60 percent of the population is under age 24.

Following the May national elections this year, when the country’s southern region raised these worries, along with demonstrators in several other pockets of the city – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who came in the third place, promised jobs and public funds for Basra.

However, Abadi has failed to take any action on his promises to largely failed to calm anger among the public.

In July, as protests raged across the country and turned increasingly violent, Abadi hoped to restore calm and announced investment worth $3 billion for Basra province. 

He also pledged additional spending on housing, schools and services in the neglected region – which is Iraq’s oil hub.

Yet, inaction to live up to the promises and increasingly deteriorating conditions, has forced Iraqis back onto the streets. 

This week, as demonstrators took to the streets again, reports of buildings being set on fire, roads being blocked and key infrastructure being damaged emerged from the oil-rich south. 

On Tuesday, Iraqi security forces were accused of firing tear gas and live ammunition on distressed demonstrators in Basra, which killed six demonstrators and left several others injured. 

Mehdi al-Tamimi, head of the government’s human rights council in Basra province said in a statement, “Six demonstrators were killed and more than 20 wounded.”

He added that security forces “directly opened fire on protesters.” 

Thousands of people rallied outside the local government headquarters in Basra on Tuesday and government officials said that some protesters hurled Molotov cocktails and fireworks at the government building, setting it on fire.

Officials said that this forced security forces to respond with tear gas and by firing shots into the air. 

Further, they said that around 15 members of the security forces were injured in the clashes.

Following the deadly clashes, Iraq’s caretaker PM Haidar al-Abadi said late on Tuesday that he had ordered the country’s interior ministry to conduct an immediate investigation into the protests in Basra.

Further, Abadi warned that those who were fueling the confrontations between the protesters and the security forces would be held accountable.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, Saad Maan, the Interior Ministry Spokesman said that the city hall of the province was partially burned.

Maan noted that the security situation in Basra was now under control after the interior ministry imposed a citywide curfew on Monday, after the situation deteriorated in the wake of the protests.

While Abadi urged for calm, the Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, whose Sairoon block won the parliament majority in the May elections, appeared to back the protesters in Basra, which is his stronghold.

Sadr condemned the tactics used by some members of the security forces against “unarmed demonstrators who only want to live with dignity.”

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Jan Kubis, the UN’s special representative in Iraq, called on “the authorities to avoid using disproportionate, lethal force against the demonstrators.”

Kubis issued a statement urging authorities to “investigate and hold accountable those responsible for the outbreak of violence.”