By : M Q Syed
Iraq , despite having the fourth largest reservoir of the World’s Oil is still one of the poorest Arab country. The proper utilisation of this natural resource may change the fortunes of the country, however, as per a World Bank report – over 22.5% of Iraqi population of 40 million were living on less than $1.90 ( INR 140) a day in 2014. The unemployment rate of youth in the country was almost 16% last year, and almost 17% of the economically active population was underemployed. And one in six households has been experiencing food insecurity.
Corruption & unemployment today are at peak and the core reason of these protests. The unrest which started in Baghdad has quickly spread to Shia dominated areas – Nasariya, Amara and Basra.
The country is also struggling to recover after a brutal war against the ISIS which had seized control of large swathes of the north and west in 2014.
The current unrest is also been traced back to the sacking of Lieutenant general Abdul Wahab Al Saadi.
Al Saadi played a key role in the battle against ISIS. He become a national hero for his role in the fight against ISIS; in cities like Tikrit, Beiji and Mosul.
This is absolutely shocking that security forces are shooting the youth to death than exercising restraint. This also means the aggression in Iraqi security forces & Government is mounting high and the Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi is not capable to resolve the problems sooner.
The use of firearms by security forces should be a measure of last resort and only to protect against an imminent threat to life.
Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most influential religious leader of Iraq has urged the government to respond to the demands for reform, saying it has “not answered the demands of the people to fight corruption or achieved anything on the ground”.
Moqtada Sadr – another highly influential Shia cleric who leads the largest opposition bloc in parliament is demanding the Iraqi government should resign and call snap elections.
