Baghdad - At least one person was killed
and 200 wounded in clashes in Iraq on Tuesday as security forces
used tear gas, water cannon and live fire to disperse
demonstrations over unemployment, corruption and poor public
services.
The main protest took place in Baghdad, with some
demonstrations in other areas of the country.
A government statement and a health ministry spokesman said
40 members of the security forces were among those injured. They
did not say where the death took place.
The government statement blamed "groups of riot inciters"
for the violence and said the security forces were working to
ensure the safety of peaceful protesters.
In Baghdad, police opened fire in the air as some 3000
protesters tried to cross a bridge leading into Baghdad's
fortified Green Zone, which houses government buildings and
foreign embassies.
Reuters reporters saw several people with blood covering
their faces. Ambulances rushed in to transport the wounded.
Security forces, who had blocked roads, used stun grenades
and water cannons to push back crowds. Protesters refused to
leave and so security forces opened fire.
Since similar but more deadly protests took place last year,
public anger has simmered over a chronic shortage of job
opportunities, electricity and clean water.
Iraqis blame politicians and officials for endemic
corruption that is preventing the country from recovering after
years of sectarian conflict and a devastating war to defeat
Islamic State.
"This is not a government, it is a bunch of parties and
militias who destroyed Iraq," said one protestor who declined to
give his name out of fear of reprisal.
Shi'ite Muslim paramilitary groups known as Popular
Mobilisation Forces play a large role in Iraqi politics and have
representation in parliament and government. They have been
accused of controlling parts of Iraq's economic - a charge they
deny.
Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who chaired the weekly
cabinet meeting on Tuesday, issued a statement promising jobs
for graduates. He instructed the oil ministry and other
government bodies to start including a 50% quota for local
workers in subsequent contracts with foreign companies.
Iraq saw massive protests last year which first erupted in
the south, heartland of the Shi'ite majority. Clashes took place
between security forces and protesters incensed by collapsing
infrastructure, frequent power cuts, and widespread corruption.
Oil-rich Iraq has suffered for decades under the rule of
Saddam Hussein and U.N. sanctions, the 2003 U.S.-led invasion
and civil war it unleashed, and the battle against Islamic
State, which was declared won in 2017. Graft is widespread and
basic services like power and water are lacking.