2015–2018 Iraqi protests
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2015–18 Iraqi protests | |||
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File:احداث مظاهرات في العراق.JPG
Iraqi protests in central Baghdad on 11 March 2016
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Date | 16 July 2015 – present (Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist.) |
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Location | |||
Caused by | Corruption Inflation Sectarianism Energy crisis[1] Unemployment Growth of ISIL[2] Iranian intervention in Iraq (some of them) |
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Methods | Demonstrations Sit-ins |
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Status | Ongoing
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Parties to the civil conflict | |||
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Lead figures | |||
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Barham Salih (since 2018) Muqtada al-Sadr |
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Units involved | |||
Number | |||
Casualties and losses | |||
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Casualties | |||
The 2015–18 Iraqi protests started on 16 July 2015 in Baghdad and most of Iraqi cities, mainly in the central and southern provinces.
Contents
2015 protests
On 16 July, clashes between police and demonstrators led to the death of one young man, with two others wounded.[14]
On 2 August, hundreds took to the streets in the southern cities of Nasriyah and Najaf to protest over poor living conditions, including power shortages, and urged authorities to fight widespread corruption.[15]
On 7 August, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets to demand changes to the government in central Tahrir Square and jammed the main streets around it, some calling on Prime Minister Abadi to fire corrupt ministers.[16]
2016 protests
On 30 April 2016, thousands of protesters entered the Green Zone in Baghdad and occupied the Iraqi parliament building. This happened after the Iraqi parliament did not approve new government ministers. The protesters included supporters of Shia cleric Muqtada Al Sadr. Although Iraqi security forces were present, they did not attempt to stop the protesters from entering the parliament building.[17]
Background
In 2014, Iraq's election led to a fractured parliament and inability to quickly form a government. Following frustration at the lack of progress, Moqtada al-Sadr promised to lead a sit-in near parliament within the Green Zone in calling for reforms to end corruption.[18][19] Despite attempts by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to re-shuffle his cabinet,[20] he carried out the threat[21][22] for a short period before calling on his supporters to disperse.[20] The political instability in the country has been disconcerting to foreign governments,[23][24] especially amongst rumours of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki political maneuvering.[25][26] The U.S. had earlier called for the replacement of al-Maliki as prime minister as a condition for fighting ISIS.[27][28] A few days before the protests, parliament failed to reach a quorum to approve new ministers to replace the current government.[29] Al-Abadi warned that a failure to form a new government would hurt the war against ISIS.[30]
Breaching of Green Zone and parliament
Shorty after al-Sadr ended a news conference in Najaf where he condemned the political deadlock and warned that "either corrupt [officials] and quotas remain or the entire government will be brought down and no one will be exempt from that" and that he would take a two-month withdrawal from public life as he was "waiting for the great popular uprising and the major revolution to stop the march of the corrupt;"[30] though he did not order his supporters to enter the Green Zone, Shia protesters breached the barricades at the Green Zone and stormed the Iraqi parliament building.[29] After crossing a bridge across the Tigris River, a guard at a checkpoint reported that the protesters had not been searched before entering, while television footage showed them waving the flag of Iraq whiles some were standing on top of concrete blast walls at the outer barrier to the Green Zone.[31] They chanted "the cowards ran away," in reference to MPs leaving parliament.[32] While there were scenes of rioting,[22] other protesters shouted "peacefully, peacefully" as they tried to contain the destruction. Some of the protesters pulled barbed wire across a road leading to one of the exits from the Green Zone, while several vehicles believed to belong to MPs were attacked and damaged.[29] While there were no clashes with the security forces, an army special forces unit was dispatched with armoured vehicles and all entrances to the city of Baghdad were shut "as a precautionary measure to maintain the capital’s security," according to an unnamed security official, although no curfew had been imposed. Hundreds of protesters were seen dancing, waving Iraqi flags and chanting pro-al-Sadr slogans, while others appeared to be breaking furniture.[30] Security was also increased at state institutions such as the headquarters for the Central Bank of Iraq and the airport.[33]
Other protesters were said to be convening at the road to Baghdad International Airport to stop politicians from leaving the city and/or the country.[34]
Reactions
President Fuad Masum called on the protesters to leave the parliament building but added: "Burying the regime of party and sectarian quotas cannot be delayed." Sheikh Muhanad al-Gharrawi, an al-Sadr spokesman, also said that al-Sadr had called on his supporters to evacuate the parliament building and set up tents outside. "Negotiations are ongoing between security and government officials and protesters’ representatives to make sure their demands are met."[30]
2017 protests
On 11 February, at least five protesters and two policeman have been killed in Baghdad when thousands of people took part in a rally. At least 320 protesters and seven police officers were wounded as violence gripped the rally. Late on that day, there were reports that six or seven Katyusha-type rockets were fired at the Green Zone from within Baghdad. No people claim responsibility and there no casualties reported.[35] Moreover, Iraqi security forces had sealed off routes leading to the capital’s fortified Green Zone after the protests.[36]
On 24 March, thousands of anti-government protesters filled up the streets of downtown Baghdad with Muqtada al-Sadr threatened to boycott the upcoming provincial elections, urging followers to join a "reform revolution."[37]
2018 protests
On 15 July, protests erupted in southern and central Iraq with protestors burning the headquarters of Kataib Hezbollah in Najaf and also sacked the city's airport. Protestors in southern Iraq have blockaded the border with Kuwait and have also occupied several oilfields, in response to the mass unrest the Iraqi Army redeployed forces in the north that were engaging ISIL and the White Flags group to the south to counter the rise in unrest.[38] In response to the unrest flights from Iran, Kuwait and Jordan to Najaf were diverted.[39] During the protests in Basra two demonstrators were killed by Iraq's security apparatus, and protesters in Sadr City stormed the headquarters of the Iranian backed Badr Organization.[40]
On 16 July, protestors in Basra began burning pictures of Khomeini and continued to storm the political offices of the Islamic Dawa Party, Badr Organization, and the National Wisdom Movement, the protestors also demonstrated against Iranian drainage of the Shatt al-Arab waterway which cause water in southern Iraq to become saline.[41][42]
By 19 July, there had been 8 reported deaths among the protestors since the recent government crackdowns on the increasing violence.[43]
On 21 July, a Badr Organization militiaman killed a 20-year-old protestor in the city of Al Diwaniyah.[44][45][46]
On 3 September, Iraqi security forces killed Makki Yassir al-Kaabi, an Iraqi tribesman protesting near the provincial capital in Basra, in response to his death many tribesmen from Banu Ka'b have threatened to take up arms against the Iraqi government.[11]
On 5 September, at least 7 people were killed and 30 wounded after a protest about the lack of public services in Basra was fired upon by security forces.[47]
On 8 September, an unknown group fired 3 to 4 Katyusha Rockets at the Basra Airport, no injuries or casualties were reported nor were flights interrupted but the rockets did target the US consulate which caused the consulate to release a statement expressing concern for the developments in Iraq.[48]
On 8 October, 2 bodies of activists were found in Basra and suspected to be victims of assassinations carried out by Iranian backed militias.[49]
On 17 November, Sheikh Wessam al-Gharrawi, an outstanding figure during the protests against deteriorating public utilities and water contamination, was killed by unknown attackers outside his house in central Basra.[12]
On 5 December, protesters inspired by the Yellow vests movement demonstrated in Basra for more job opportunities and better services.[50]
See also
References
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- ↑ https://www.vox.com/world/2018/9/7/17831526/iraq-protests-basra-burning-government-buildings-iran-consulate-water
- ↑ https://almadapaper.net/Details/213085/تنسيقيّات-البصرة-تُعلًّق-التظاهرات-وتطالب-بملاحقة-مندسّين-من-ولاية-الجنوب
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/09/basra-al-abadi-condemns-unacceptable-iran-consulate-attack-180910153825142.html
- ↑ http://www.alahad.tv.iq/index.php?itemID=45654
- ↑ https://www.alarabiya.net/ar/arab-and-world/iraq/2018/09/02/%D9%84%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A9-%D8%B1%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B5-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%8A-%D8%B9%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%B5%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD-.html
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5GdV4GSxTk
- ↑ https://almadapaper.net/Details/213085/تنسيقيّات-البصرة-تُعلًّق-التظاهرات-وتطالب-بملاحقة-مندسّين-من-ولاية-الجنوب
- ↑ http://almasalah.com/ar/news/125431/بالوثيقة-مظاهرات-في-الوسط-والجنوب-مدعومة-من-حزب-البعث-المحظور
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRWAFQzCAag
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/09/11/how-violent-protests-in-iraq-could-escalate/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.194a10a142d4
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 https://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/prominent-protest-figure-in-iraqs-basra-assassinated/
- ↑ https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-protests/protesters-in-basra-storm-iranian-consulate-as-deadly-demonstrations-rage-idUSKCN1LN1M9
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- ↑ http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/9281a580-7e7b-496b-a9b7-63c8a821ba8b
- ↑ http://iraqnewsapp.com/1/Article/2244/168687995
- ↑ [1]