Nation-wide protest continues for seventh straight day in Iraq over unemployment, corruption and poor services

Baghdad, July 16: Massive protest has erupted in many parts of Iraq as the demonstrators took to the streets against unemployment, corruption and poor services.

 

Notably, thousands of protesters in Basra province of Iraq on Monday came out to demonstrate against Iraqi government over the issue of unemployment, water and electricity shortages and poor governance etc. Today, it was the seventh straight day of protest.

The protest which started from Basra province has now spread to other to the cities including Amara, Nasiriya, Karbala and Najaf. Being in an aggressive mode, protesters also torched the public transports. The protests have led to attacks on party offices, including those of Abadi's ruling Dawa party and the Iranian-supported Badr Organization.

However, the protesters have got a boost from Iraqi's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who offered solidarity with the people during a sermon.

Unfortunately, four demonstrators were killed in clashes with police while a dozen others were injured. Looking up to the serious issue, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also commander-in-chief, immediately ordered troops and reinforcements to Basra and several southern cities with an aim to quell the unrest.

Earlier, on Friday last week, Abadi rushed from a NATO summit in Brussels to Basra to meet with local officials and tribal leaders in a bid to restore calm. On Saturday, he announced investments worth $3 billion (€2.6 billion) for Basra province and promised to provide jobs, housing, schools and services.