Baghdad promises Basra protesters decisions within 48 hours

Shafaq News- Basra

The Iraqi government will issue decisions on the demands of protesters in northern Basra within 48 hours, a government delegation sent by Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi pledged on Monday after meeting representatives of the protest movement in Al-Sadiq district and other parts of the province.

Protests have spread across the province's oil-rich north, with Al-Sadiq residents camped near the West Qurna 1 field for more than a week and hundreds in neighboring Al-Deir beginning an open-ended sit-in on Saturday.

The delegation, led by the oil minister and including the ministers of construction and housing and of planning, heard the protesters' grievances directly and received a list of demands to pass on to Al-Zaidi, Ahmed Al-Fatlawi, head of the Supreme Authority for Coordination between the Governorates, told Shafaq News. The government is also looking into why several projects had stalled, he added, noting that the country's liquidity crunch has affected every province, not only northern Basra.

Jobs for residents of areas near the oil fields top the protesters' list, according to Haitham Al-Mansouri, leader of the northern Basra movement. The demands also include resuming work on a bridge linking Al-Sadiq and Izz Al-Din Salim districts, finishing the rehabilitation of the Qurna-Basra road, and addressing water shortages, pollution and poor services. Some had already been raised with the local government but stalled when funding dried up.

"People are no longer waiting for new promises; they want clear decisions with practical solutions and set timelines," Al-Mansouri said, adding that the outcome will determine whether the protests continue.