New Delhi: At least 31 people have been killed in violent civilian protests in Iraq, since Tuesday, according to a report in Al Jazeera. The protesters are demonstrating against rampant corruption and joblessness and have directed their anger against Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s government and the wider political class.
These are the most serious protests Iraq has witnessed since 2016 and pose a direct challenge to Mahdi’s one-year-old government. Moreover, the government’s ‘iron fist’ reaction against protestors has further exacerbated public anger.
The beginning
The protests began on Tuesday and have continued to grow in intensity since then. While demonstrations began in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, they have now spread to the Shia-dominated cities in Southern Iraq.
The government’s knee-jerk reaction was to quell these demonstrations using force. When this did not help, the Baghdad government put an indefinite curfew in place.
According to reports, at least 4,000 people defied the curfew and held demonstrations against the government. The Iraqi security forces, yet again, responded by brute force.
“The crowds gathered in Baghdad’s Tayaran Square and attempted to march onto the central Tahrir Square only to be met with open fire and heavy tear gas. Police also used live ammunition in the Zafaraniya district of Baghdad and there were protests in the northwestern Shula district,” notes the Al Jazeera report.
The use of force has drawn a lot of international attention. The United Nations has urged the Baghdad government to “exercise maximum restraint”.
Amnesty International’s Middle Eastern chief, Lynn Maalouf, said, “It is outrageous that Iraqi security forces time and again deal with protesters with such brutality using lethal and unnecessary force.”
After failing to curb the protests by force, Prime Minister Mahdi’s office has now called for dialogue with the protestors, according to reports in local media. Mahdi also put out a Facebook post expressing regret for the lives lost.
A major political crisis
“The protesters are apparently unaffiliated with political parties but aim to remove the prime minister, an Iraqi government official said, speaking on condition of anonymity,” noted a Financial Times report.
“The protests have added to pressure on the prime minister – a political veteran and compromise candidate after last years – to quit, he added,” the report added.
“(The protests) pose the biggest challenge yet to Abdul Mahdi, but it’s unclear how he can stop the outpouring of anger against his rule, with no apparent leaders of protesters to negotiate with,” remarked Al Jazeera’s Baghdad correspondent, Imran Khan.