More protests in Iraq, confrontations and casualties
After a resident died of injuries suffered in clashes last week between anti-government demonstrators and supporters of Iraqi leader Muqtada al-Sadr, thousands of Iraqis took to the streets in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya.According to reports from international organisations involved in the region, Rida al-Rikabi was shot in the head on Friday in a conflict between supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr and demonstrators in al-Haboubi Square in the city of Nassiriya. Al-Rikabi died on Monday, adding eight dead and hundreds injured to the death toll from the violence reported on Friday. Their funeral was attended by thousands of people.
Following the clashes last week in an effort to end the protests in the southern Iraqi city, the authorities enforced a complete shutdown. The local police chief was shot and they launched an inquiry into the events. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi sent Qassem Al-Araji, the national security advisor, and a number of senior officials to Nassiriyah to negotiate with the demonstrators.But in Nassiriya, the situation remains humid. “Once again, peaceful protesters are dying in front of the government and the security forces are unable to punish the killers,”Once again, peaceful protesters are dying in front of the government and the security forces are unable to punish the killers.
Nassiriya, which started in October 2019, was a major centre of the anti-government protest movement. The city regards the authorities as corrupt, incompetent and reliant on Iran. Around 600 people died in Iraq as a result of protest-related violence, without any real responsibility on the part of officials. The violence reported last week coincided with the first anniversary of the bloody events recorded during the 2019 uprising, which killed more than 30 people on November 28, 2019, on the Zaytoun Bridge in Nassiriya.
In the West, the city is known for the attacks that took place between 2003 and 2006 during the Iraq war against the Italian armed forces involved in the “Operation Ancient Babylon” military mission. Operation Iraq Freedom (OIF), or the Second Gulf War, started in March 2003 by a coalition consisting mostly of the British and US armies and other nations. The’ Nassitiya attacks caused more than 50 casualties, including 25 Italian soldiers.
The war officially ended on May 1, 2003, even though the foreign armies had never completely occupied the region, sustaining heavy losses due to recurring attacks. Resolution 1483 of the United Nations of 22 May 2003, adopted by the United Nations Security Council, called on all States to contribute to Iraq’s rebirth, to the security of the Iraqi people and to the development of the region.
