*BAGHDAD: An indefinite curfew came into effect early Thursday in Iraq’scapital after two days of chaotic protests across the country thatdescended into violence and left nine dead.*
Iraqi premier Adel Abdel Mahdi ordered the ban on movements across Baghdadstarting at 5:00 am local time to stem the popular demonstrations overwidespread unemployment and state corruption.
Early Thursday, some cars and civilians were seen in the capital´s streets,an AFP photographer said, but residents are wary that more protests coulderupt after firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called for “a general strike”.
The tension has been exacerbated by a near-total internet shutdown, theclosure of government offices and at least one overnight explosion that hitthe Green Zone, where some ministries and embassies are located.
A security source inside the area told AFP there were two blasts, likelycaused by indirect fire a little over a week after two rockets hit near theUS embassy there.
The apparent attack came hours after security forces sealed off the GreenZone “until further notice”, fearing angry protesters would swarm statebuildings or foreign missions.
Since erupting in Baghdad on Tuesday, the protests have spread to othercities in the country’s south.
Riot police in the capital have used water cannons, tear gas, rubberbullets and live rounds in an attempt to disperse protesters from thecentral Tahrir Square and other areas.
Into the night on Wednesday, marches from different parts of Baghdadattempted to converge on Tahrir.
But with internet access virtually shut, demonstrators have struggled tocommunicate with each other or post footage of the latest clashes.‘De-escalation needed’
In the holy city of Najaf and in Nasiriyah further to the south onWednesday, security forces fired on protesters and curfews were alsodeclared.
Nine people including a police officer have so far been killed, most ofthem in Nasiriyah, and more than 400 people have been wounded, according tohealth authorities.
The protests appear to be largely spontaneous so far, with angry crowdscarrying Iraqi flags and shunning any involvement by the country’s mainpolitical players.
Many traditional figures have expressed their support for the movement,with Sadr urging “peaceful demonstrations.”
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He was behind the last round of major protests in Baghdad in 2016, when hissupporters stormed the Green Zone, but his involvement appears much morelimited this time.
On Wednesday night, the top United Nations official in Iraq JeanineHennis-Plasschaert met with some protesters in Baghdad to call for “directdialogue” between them and government officials.
“The ability to preserve the right to protest is a sign of political anddemocratic maturity. Moreover, the use of force only fuels the anger,” shesaid in a statement.
“De-escalation is urgently needed.”
The violence drew a slew of criticism from Iraqi leaders includingPresident Barham Saleh, and parliament has demanded an investigation intothe incidents.
The protests follow months of simmering frustration over rampant powercuts, water shortages and state corruption.
But anger over staggering rates of youth unemployment, which is around 25per cent or double the adult rate according to the World Bank, appears tohave set off this particular round of demonstrations.
“We want jobs and better public services. We’ve been demanding them foryears and the government has never responded,” said Abdallah Walid, a27-year-old protester.
Demonstrations over similar issues engulfed Basra last summer andeffectively ended previous premier Haider al-Abadi’s chances of a secondterm.
Abdel Mahdi now faces a similar challenge just weeks before his governmentmarks a full year in power.
He called for the curfew after convening his national security council foran emergency meeting on Wednesday.
Abdel Mahdi has also blamed the violence on “aggressors who… deliberatelycreated casualties,” a statement met with rage by protesters. -APP/AFP
