Shafaq News visits Basra protest sites: Al-Sadiq residents demand action, threaten escalation
Shafaq News/ Demonstrations in the Al-Sadiq District of northern Basra Province have intensified, with residents threatening to escalate their protests if their demands are not met.
On Saturday, Shafaq News visited the protest sites to document their grievances and convey their appeals to the relevant authorities.
Demands for Basic Rights and Provincial Status
Sheikh Imad Al-Mansouri, one of the movement’s leaders, highlighted the timeline and scale of the protests. “These demonstrations began eight months ago with a few hundred people. Today, we are thousands, demanding basic rights such as jobs and infrastructure—things that are severely lacking in our district,” Al-Mansouri told Shafaq News.
He noted that the ongoing sit-ins, now in their third week, are planned to continue until Monday. “If no tangible response is received, we will escalate our demands, including seeking Al-Sadiq’s recognition as a separate province with control over its resources and privileges," he added.
Environmental and Health Crisis
Environmental degradation emerged as a central concern among the protesters. Abu Al-Hassan Al-Shawi, another protest leader, detailed the dire impact of pollution on the district’s residents. "Oil-related contaminants have caused an alarming increase in cancer cases, with nearly every family affected,” he explained.
Al-Shawi also pointed to river pollution as a major crisis. "The discharge of untreated wastewater into our rivers has contaminated the water sources we depend on for daily use. Despite the severity of this issue, there has been no government intervention to address the problem or protect the residents," he said.
Unpaid Workers and Educational Challenges
Protester Nouri Abdul-Nabi Al-Hassan shared a personal story that underscores the socioeconomic challenges faced by Al-Sadiq residents. "My four children, all university graduates, worked for schools in the district under a free-service system imposed by Basra’s education department as a prerequisite for employment. Despite working for four years without pay and repeated calls for their appointments, they remain unpaid," he said.
Al-Hassan noted that his children are part of a larger group of 19,000 individuals still awaiting permanent employment. "Through your respected platform, we urge the concerned authorities to address this injustice and expedite their appointments, ensuring stability for their families," he appealed.
Notably, on December 30, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced a series of measures during the 53rd Council of Ministers session to address the district’s challenges. These include allocating urgent funds for quick service projects, resolving land allocation issues for schools, initiating hospital construction, and completing key roadworks. Al-Sudani also directed ministries to expedite previously approved projects for the area. However, so far none of these measures, have been implemented.
