Protesters Set a Government Building on Fire in South Iraq

Published October 4th, 2022 - 06:00 GMT
government building
A member of Iraqi security deploys near burning tyres amid clashes with protesters during a rally to mark three years since nationwide demonstrations erupted against endemic corruption, in the southern city of Basra, on October 1, 2022. (Photo by Hussein Faleh / AFP)
Highlights
Authorities declare curfew in city of Nasiriyah amid protests

Protesters set fire to a government building Monday in Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq, according to security sources.

A group of masked men took to the streets of the city center of Nasiriyah to stage demonstrations, the sources said.

The demonstrators then set fire to the governor's office with Molotov cocktails, they added.

A curfew was declared in the city over the incident.

Nasiriyah, located 350 kilometers (217 miles) south of the capital Baghdad, is mired in poverty and plagued by poor infrastructure and joblessness, especially among young people.

It was the main stronghold of the anti-corruption protest movement.

In 2019, mass anti-government protests erupted which lasted for months and forced then Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi to step down.

On Oct. 10, 2021, snap parliamentary elections were held, during which supporters of prominent Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr emerged as the biggest winners with 73 seats in parliament.

This article has been adapted from its original source.

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