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Iraq: Deadly demonstrations continue in Basra

At least 27 people have been killed since the wave of protests first broke out in Basra in July.

Protesters raise an Iraqi flag over the Basra Government building during a demonstration demanding better public services and jobs in Basra, 340 miles (550 km) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Sept
Angry protesters stormed the Iranian consulate in the southern city of Basra. [Nabil al-Jurani/AP Photo]
Published On 9 Sep 2018

Basra has been rocked by protests with demonstrators setting ablaze government buildings, the Iranian consulate, and the offices of pro-Tehran militias and political parties.

Anger flared after the hospitalisation of 30,000 people who drank polluted water. Residents in the oil-rich region have for weeks complained of water and electricity shortages, corruption among officials and unemployment.

Since the wave of protests first broke out in Basra in July, with demonstrators condemning corruption and demanding jobs, at least 27 people have been killed.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said he had instructed security forces to “act decisively against the acts of vandalism that accompanied the demonstrations”.

Iraqi protesters burn the Iranian Consulate in Basra, Iraq September 7, 2018. REUTERS/Essam al-Sudani
A spokesman for the consulate said all diplomats and staff had been evacuated from the building before the protesters attacked and nobody was hurt. [Essam al-Sudani/Reuters]
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Workers throw burned furniture from burned Basra Government building in Basra, 340 miles (550 km) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018. A local military commander for an alliance of pow
Iraq has been struggling to rebuild its infrastructure and economy after decades of bloody conflicts. [Nabil al-Jurani/AP Photo]
Iraqi women shout slogans during a protest in Basra, Iraq September 7, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani
The wave of protests first broke out in Basra in July with demonstrators condemning corruption among Iraqi officials and demanding jobs. [Alaa al-Marjani/Reuters]
Popular Mobilization Forces parade in Basra, 340 miles (550 km) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018. A local military commander for an alliance of powerful Shiite militias, many of the
Prime minister al-Abadi said he had instructed security forces to "act decisively against the acts of vandalism that accompanied the demonstrations". [Nabil al-Jurani/AP Photo]
A burnt ambulance belonging to Iraq''s Popular Mobilization Forces, burned during the protests, is seen in the street in Basra, Iraq September 8, 2018. REUTERS/Essam al-Sudani
An ambulance belonging to Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces was burned during the protests. At least 27 people have been killed since the start of the protests in July. [Essam al-Sudani/Reuters]
Iraqi protesters stand on concrete blast walls during an anti-government protest near the burnt building of the government office in Basra, Iraq September 7, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani
Iraqi protesters stand on concrete blast walls near a torched government office in Basra. [Alaa al-Marjani/Reuters]
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A man rides his motorcycle past the headquarters of MP Faleh al-Khazali, Secretary General of the Martyrs movement, which were set on fire by protesters in Basra, Iraq September 7, 2018. REUTERS/Essam
An man rides his motorcycle past the headquarters of MP Faleh al-Khazali, secretary-general of the Martyrs movement, which was set on fire by protesters in Basra. [Essam al-Sudani/Reuters]