Thousands rally in Iraq's "Day of Rage" protests

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Thousands of Iraqis inspired by uprisings around the Arab world protested on Friday against corruption and poor basic services in nationwide rallies that provoked sporadic clashes with security forces.

At least five people were killed and 75 injured in skirmishes during Iraq's "Day of Rage" when demonstrators tried to storm government buildings and security personnel fired shots in the air to try to disperse them.

The most violent clashes occurred in the restive areas of Hawija and Mosul in the oil-rich north and the southern oil hub of Basra, but by late afternoon no insurgent attacks on the protesters had been reported. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had warned that al Qaeda and others might attack them.

Eight years after the U.S.-led invasion which ousted dictator Saddam Hussein, development remains slow and Iraqis complain of shortages of food rations, water, power and jobs.

The Arab world has erupted in protests aimed at ousting long-standing rulers and holding free elections but Iraqis have focussed more on gripes over essential needs and corruption.

"We are here for change, to improve the situation of the country. The education system is bad. The health system is also bad. Services are going from bad to worse," said 27-year-old Lina Ali, part of a protest youth group on Facebook.

"There is no drinkable water, no electricity. Unemployment is growing, which can push the youth towards terrorist activities," she said.

Frustration has been mounting in the war-torn state, which has vast oil reserves and the potential to be a major producer. 'Where's my share in the oil profits?' one banner read.

"People are hungry. We ask the government to find job opportunities for the young. All my sons are unemployed, I'm here to express the injustice that we live in," said 52-year-old Um Safa, who walked from Baghdad's northeastern Sadr City slum to Tahrir Square in the centre to take part in the protests.

SECURITY THREAT

In Mosul, three people were killed and 15 wounded in clashes as protesters set fire to a government building and a percussion bomb exploded amongst the crowd, a police source said.

Protesters also set fire to a local council building in Hawija, a restive area near Kirkuk. Two people were killed and 22 injured in scuffles, a police source said.

A curfew was imposed in Basra until 6 am (0300 GMT) on Saturday after clashes between security forces and protesters that wounded 18 people. Basra Governor Shaltagh Abboud said he would resign in response to protesters' demands.

"Security forces have endured a lot from demonstrators. Many military and police officers were injured by stones thrown by demonstrators," Ali Ghanim al-Maliki, head of the security committee at Basra's provincial council, told Reuters.

Seven protesters and a soldier were hurt in Falluja, along with six people in Sulaiman Pek, three in Nassiriya and three in Khaldiya, authorities reported.

In Baghdad's Tahrir Square, where the crowd swelled to thousands, minor clashes broke out after protesters stormed past concrete blast walls on the nearby Jumhuriya bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone of government buildings and embassies.

A security official at the square said security forces had been ordered to avoid clashing with protesters. Late in the afternoon soldiers and police used percussion bombs and fired into the air to scatter the crowd.

A vehicle curfew was in effect in the capital.

Maliki had told Iraqis they had a right to protest peacefully but advised them to stay away from Friday's rallies because of possible violence by al Qaeda and members of Saddam's banned Baath party.

A weakened but stubborn insurgency is still carrying out attacks in Iraq despite a big drop in overall violence since the peak of sectarian warfare in 2006-7.

(Additional reporting by Muhanad Mohammed and Suadad al-Salhy in Baghdad, Sabah al-Bazee in Samarra, Aref Mohammed in Basra, Mustafa Mahmoud in Kirkuk, Khaled Farhan in Najaf, Jamal al-Badrani in Mosul, Fadhel al-Badrani in Falluja; writing by Serena Chaudhry, editing by Tim Pearce)

WhatsAppFacebookTwitterLinkedinBeloudBluesky