Basic resources cut in Basra
State of emergency declared as violent protests erupt
Iraq’s second-largest city, Basra, faces a humanitarian crisis as protests erupted on the streets last week. Protests have now been ongoing for several days and have left a number of people injured and an estimated three fatalities.
Hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets and stormed government buildings and Najaf International Airport in Basra last week. Protesters are incensed at the level of unemployment and a lack of basic services available in Basra. A sad irony in a city that is a hub for Iraq’s oil economy, accounting for over 95 per cent of government revenues.
The protests are happening at a politically sensitive time. Iraq is awaiting the partial recount of elections that took place in May. These are the fourth elections since the toppling of Saddam Hussein, with the lowest turnout thus far. Allegations of fraud and a struggle to form a government have ignited the discontent of the Iraqi people, and their unease has now reached its peak.
The protests started over a week ago when hundreds of Iraqis gathered outside government buildings in Basra. They attempted to storm the buildings and were then faced with security forces that used tear gas and water cannons to forcibly stop them in their tracks.
‘Some protesters tried to storm the building.’ one police source told Reuters news agency. ‘We prevented them by using water cannons and tear gas.’
At least seven people were injured in the violence. According to the same source, 19 members of the security forces were wounded by protesters throwing stones.
The protests then spread into the nearby town of Samawa, where two people were killed by police officers who said they were responding to shots that had been fired from the crowd.
‘Hundreds of people tried to storm a courthouse. Shots were fired towards us. It was not clear who was shooting. We had no choice but to open fire.’ a police official said.
The National Security services have now cut internet services in order to curtail the spread of demonstrations. A curfew has also been called across Iraqi cities and most international flights to Basra’s Najaf International airport have been suspended. Crossings at the border of Kuwait and Iran have also been closed, causing further suffering by blocking any emergency supplies being brought in by land.
Water and electricity shortages
Basra is the hottest city in Iraq with temperatures reaching a record 54 degrees Celsius in July. As a consequence, during the summer, the electricity grid often faces the strain of the demands required to fulfil the cooling needs of all of the city’s residents.
The current dispute started when neighbouring Iran, which supplies most of the electricity in southern Iraq, cut the region off last week due to an unpaid bill of around US$1 billion.
The area’s water supply is provided for by the two rivers that flow into it, the Tigris and the Euphrates, but high temperatures have led to low water levels in both rivers. Residents are now facing a humanitarian crisis because they have limited potable water and serious problems with salinity.
‘Water. I am demanding water.’ said one protester, ‘It’s a shame that I am demanding water in 2018 and I have oil that feeds the world.’
Basra’s economy
Having faced the impact of transitional challenges in 2017, Basra’s economy has historically been strong. Activity in the oil industry, a good agricultural economy and excellent shipping links have contributed to Iraq’s GDP.
However, an obvious gap in oil output versus labour input suggests something is going terribly wrong. According to the UN, Iraq’s oil industry accounts for 65 per cent of the country’s GDP but only 1 percent of its labour force, with the other 99 per cent of oil industry jobs going to foreign workers. Official unemployment figures in Iraq stand at 10.8 per cent, while youth unemployment is twice as high in a country where 60 per cent of the population are aged under 24.
To ease the reconstruction process after the US invasion, Iraq has received hundreds of millions in development aid with the World Bank’s commitment to Iraq reaching a staggering US$4.7 billion in 2018. With so much money allocated it is easy to understand the Iraqi people’s huge sense of disappointment and disillusionment with their leaders.
What next for Basra?
Arriving back in Iraq after NATO talks on terrorism in Brussels, Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi has announced that his government will release additional funds to help Basra deal with the stifling heat in the summer. Last week he announced investments worth US$3 billion would be used for Basra, and also promised to improve job opportunities, housing, schools and services.
But will this be enough for the people of Basra? In recent years calls for Basra to become its own independent, or semi-independent state, have been growing louder. Faced with ongoing turmoil and unbearable living conditions this is an issue once again. Unless Abadi’s government can meet the demands of the people of Basra, it seems inevitable that residents will once again demand more autonomy over its oil wealth.