23 July 2018•Update: 23 July 2018
By Ibrahim Saleh
BAGHDAD
Hundreds of demonstrators blocked a main highway in Iraq’s southern province of Dhi Qar on Monday amid protests against unemployment and poor public utilities, according to a local police officer.
“Protesters blocked a road linking the province to the capital Baghdad,” First Lieutenant Talal al-Bahbouhi told Anadolu Agency.
He said security forces had tried to disperse the protesters and reopen the vital highway.
Khalil Salem, a protester, said demonstrators have staged an open-ended sit-in in front of the sub-governor’s office “until their demands are fulfilled”.
“We want the sub-governor sacked, public services improved, as well as creating job opportunities and improving living conditions,” he said.
For the third week in a row, Iraq’s southern provinces have witnessed angry protests which in some cases have included acts of violence that have left at least 13 dead.
The protests first erupted in Basra, where demonstrators decried poor public services, high unemployment and chronic power shortages.
The main reasons for Iraq’s ongoing financial crisis, which appear to have triggered the protests, are the high costs of perpetual conflict and falling oil revenues.
While Baghdad has been largely unable to fulfill its development plans, it is also struggling to provide basic public utilities, including electricity and water.
Recent days have seen the protests spread from southern Iraq to a number of other cities and provinces, including the nation’s capital, where the government has cut internet access and banned several social media platforms in hopes of preventing the protests from escalating further.
