Mass demonstrations in Iraq have killed more people than previously known. At least 40 people were killed Friday, Ali al-Bajati, a member of the Iraqi Human Rights Commission, said Saturday. At first there had been 30 deaths.
Many of the victims were demonstrators killed in fires or shot dead when they attempted to storm buildings belonging to the Shiite Hashed al-Shababi militias. More than 2,300 people are said to have been injured in demonstrations in the capital and several provinces, especially in the south of the country, where there were violent clashes with security forces.
The demonstrations were originally directed against the widespread corruption and mismanagement in the country, high unemployment and the poor supply of electricity and water. Meanwhile, people are also turning against the political elite as a whole and calling for the overthrow of the government.
Thousands of protesters in Baghdad on Friday tried to get into the specially protected Green Zone, where many government buildings and embassies are located. Hundreds of people set up tents in central Tahrir Square on Saturday to protest. However, they were repelled by security forces with tear gas.
Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, who has been in office for about a year, has promised a series of political reforms in light of the protests. Parliament wanted to meet on Saturday for a meeting to discuss demands from the demonstrators and government reform plans. However, the parties in Parliament are so divided that many decisions are blocked.
THE MIRROR
Territories under control in Syria and Iraq
Already in early October there had been mass protests in the country, in which 150 civilians were killed. Iraq is struggling with economic problems and the aftermath of the military campaign against the Islamic State (IS) militia. Although the country is one of the largest oil producers in the world, it suffers from a lack of energy. Many areas are still destroyed after the fight against the IS.