The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Focus: What is happening in Iraq, anti-government demonstration expansion SNS exceeds sect

2019-10-09T11:08:38.049Z


[Bagdad, Reuters]-The anti-government demonstrations in Iraq have led to unexpected deaths for government authorities, with dozens of new deaths due to clashes between participants and security forces over the past few days. Certain political interests or religions


[Bagdad, Reuters]-The anti-government demonstrations in Iraq have led to unexpected deaths for government authorities, with dozens of new deaths due to clashes between participants and security forces over the past few days.

The background and actual conditions that are said to be different from specific political interests and religious conflicts, and future developments are summarized.

<Why people are protesting> The last time such a large-scale protest took place was over a year ago.

Two years have passed since the collapse of the radical Islamic State (IS), and despite the fact that Iraq has abundant oil resources, living conditions continue to deteriorate in most areas. I'm sick of it.

Although security has improved over the last few years, damaged infrastructure has not been rebuilt and employment opportunities are scarce. The youth accuses corrupt leaders who do not represent themselves of being the cause of this situation.

<The reason for the deterioration of the living environment>

For the first time since the 1970s, Iraq has been in the history of decades of war with neighboring countries, UN sanctions, two invasions by the United States, civil war due to sectarian conflict, and the collapse of IS in 2017. Enjoys peace and can trade freely.

However, various infrastructures are aging and deteriorating, cities that have been damaged by the war have not yet been restored, and there are still armed groups that use arms on the streets.

Corruption customs have persisted since the Saddam Hussein era, and were further strengthened by various Islamic parties that emerged after the end of that era.

<What led to this demonstration and organizers>

The demo does not appear to be organized by any particular political group. The number of social media posts calling for protests increased, and the number of actual participants was surprisingly large.

The lack of inadequate administrative services and jobs is the main reason why the public is angry. Protests have also been raised by the government's series of actions, particularly the relegation of popular, powerful soldiers without clear explanation.

<Large-scale demonstration in Iraq after a long time>

Last September, a large demonstration took place mainly in the southern city of Basra, killing nearly 30 people. Since then, sporadic demonstrations have occurred, but this has not been the scale. It was the first large scale since Adele Abdul Mahdi was appointed Prime Minister last October.

<Possibility of demo expansion and associated risks>

The situation changes depending on the response of the government and security authorities. If more than 80 people die on the 5th, the anger of the people will increase. On the other hand, powerful repression activities can scare people and reduce the number of demonstrators.

Many believe that there was an armed militia group backed by Iran behind the violent crackdown at the Basra demonstration last September. Since then, there were only a few demonstrators.

If armed groups with nationalism and regional independence get involved in the demonstration, things can get worse.

<Does the government respond to requests from demonstrators?>

The government has already promised to increase employment opportunities for the people. Abdul Mahdi instructed university graduates for employment and directed government agencies such as the Ministry of Petroleum to allocate 50% of work to domestic workers in business contracts with foreign companies.

The previous administration promised to improve the medical system and power supply last year.

<A riot caused by a sectarian conflict>

It is not. Most people with IS-dominated experience trying to mark Islamic Sunni extremism are trying to avoid a sectarian conflict. This demonstration is a protest against the worsening economy and lifestyle. Most occur in the south, where the capital Baghdad and Shia are overwhelming, but they involve all ethnicities and denominations. The tip of anger is the political leadership, not a specific sect.

<The impact of the demonstration on the government>

None of the parties, political groups, or even the group of Shiite clergymen Moktada Alsador, who had organized anti-government activities in the past, participated in the demonstration. As a result, the government may struggle to hold down demonstrations.

If the demo expands, it is not clear what the government can do. So far, the administration has not mentioned the resignation or resignation of key personnel, and the forces that have supported Mr Abdul Mahadi and who have weak political standing want to maintain this situation in the future. It seems to think.

Source: asahi

All news articles on 2019-10-09

You may like

News/Politics 2024-02-13T17:19:49.179Z

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-27T16:45:54.081Z
News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.