Iraq anti-government protests lead to deadly clashes

A protester gestures as he stands close to burning tyres in Baghdad, Iraq (2 October 2019)Image copyright
Reuters

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The protests, which appear to lack any leadership, are the largest in Iraq for more than a year

At least five people have been killed and hundreds wounded since Tuesday in clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces in Iraq.

Thousands have taken to the streets of Baghdad, Nasiriya and other cities to show their anger at unemployment, a lack of services and corruption.

The government has blamed the violence on unnamed “rioters” but vowed to address the protesters’ concerns.

The United Nations has called on the authorities to exercise restraint.

“Every individual has the right to speak freely, in keeping with the law,” UN special representative Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said.

The protests, which appear to lack any organised leadership, are the largest since Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi took office a year ago.

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Reuters

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Security personnel were deployed in central Baghdad on Wednesday

Three people were killed or died of their wounds on Wednesday, officials said, as the anti-government protests erupted for a second day and spread to more areas.

In the capital, police fired tear gas and live ammunition in an attempt to disperse demonstrations in several districts.

Protesters also attempted to reach central Tahrir Square, which police had earlier sealed off along with a nearby bridge leading to the Green Zone, where government buildings and foreign embassies are located.

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On Tuesday, clashes erupted in Tahrir Square after hundreds of protesters there tried to cross the bridge.

The interior ministry blamed “rioters who aimed to undermine the true meaning of the [protesters’] demands and strip them of peacefulness”.

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Reuters

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Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has expressed regret for the violence

On Tuesday night, Mr Abdul Mahdi expressed regret for the violence and promised an investigation “to learn the reasons” behind the protests.

“It saddens me and breaks our hearts the injuries among the protesters, our sons, and the security forces and the destruction and looting of public and private properties,” he wrote on Facebook.

He added: “We stress to the people of our nation that our priorities were and will remain focused on providing radical realistic solutions to many of the decades-long accumulated problems.”

The prime minister also said he would create more jobs for graduates. According to the World Bank, the youth unemployment rate in Iraq is currently about 25%.

Last year, the southern Iraqi city of Basra was rocked by weeks of protests over unsafe drinking water, power shortages, unemployment and corruption. Government offices, including the main provincial council building, were set alight.

source: bbc.com