ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Following three days of violent protests which have left more than 30 people dead, Iraq’s Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi addressed the nation in the early hours of Friday morning to promise financial relief to poor families and the release of detainees.
However, the PM warned where are no “magic solutions” to address the protesters’ grievances, and claimed that addressing unemployment, poor services, and rampant corruption would take time to solve.
“There are no magical solutions, and the government cannot achieve all the dreams and ambitions within just one year, those dreams that haven’t been achieved through long decades,” the PM said in a speech broadcast by state media.
“We didn’t create unemployment, nor was it us who destroyed the worn out infrastructure. Rather, we inherited them.”
The mostly peaceful protests began on Tuesday in the Iraqi capital Baghdad before quickly spreading to other southern provinces. Security forces responded with tear gas, water cannons, and live ammunition as protesters ignored curfews.
According to Iraq’s Human Rights Commission, at least 31 protesters and security personnel have been killed and 1,188 wounded in nationwide clashes.
Internet and messaging app services were suspended in several provinces. Further violence is expected on Friday.
Curfews and other “security measures” are “hard choices” but necessary to protect lives and property, Abdul-Mahdi said.
“We have put in place strict measures against the usage of excessive force, and we adhere to international standards to impose law and security for the purpose of reducing the loss of life and property.”
Committees have been formed to “ensure commitment” to these standards.
Until now, the PM has only issued statements urging restraint. In his Friday morning speech, Abdul-Mahdi warned the violence risks “destroying the state” and Iraq’s “constitutional, democratic” achievements.
Defending his government, established just one year ago, Abdul-Mahdi said: “We are of this people, and belong to this people, who have made sacrifices, and we realize the suffering they have been inflicted with throughout the long past decades.”
His government has “lifted the walls” that separated politicians and the people, he said, referring to the tall blast walls that have been gradually dismantled around Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, where parliament and ministries are housed.
“Don’t let those who call for despair win you over, and don’t listen to calls for regression, to militarize the state and the society again. Those delusions are gone, and time has made it disappear, and we as a people paid a heavy price through our blood, resources, and future,” he added.
The fires and looting in Baghdad and elsewhere have “put big question marks over the aims of those who try to take advantage of peaceful protests”, the PM said.
The apparently spontaneous protests do not seem to have a formal leadership. Activists who spoke to AP have accused Iranian-backed elements inside Iraq’s security forces of firing on protesters. Pro-Iran commentators meanwhile have accused the US and Saudi Arabia of orchestrating the protests.
The PM announced a host of short-term projects to help quell the unrest.
“We have a project that we will present to the Council of Ministers in the near future to provide a stipend to every family that doesn’t have enough income … We will set the minimum income per family in a manner that guarantees every Iraqi family a dignified life and not to leave anyone fall behind or below the poverty line,” he said.
The PM said his government has spoken to the Judicial Council, Iraq’s highest judicial authority, to secure the release of 48 protesters currently detained without charge.
The PM also called on Iraq’s parliament and political parties to give him the “jurisdiction” to fill vacant posts in his cabinet. As an independent technocrat, Abdul-Mahdi has been unable to use the leverage of a parliamentary bloc to secure a full cabinet, disrupting the reform process.
He admitted not enough has been done to tackle corruption, but claimed his government had fired 1,000 employees accused of wasting public funds in recent days.
Iraq is the world’s twelfth most corrupt nation, according to Transparency International.
In a statement released Friday morning, the United Nations special representative to Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, welcomed Abdul-Mahdi’s speech, commending its emphasis on unity, dialogue, and action.
“Iraqis have overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges in the past. Their resolve and spirit of unity triumphed in the fight against Daesh (Islamic State, ISIS), a brutal enemy that threatened the country's very existence,” Hennis-Plasschaert said.
“If Iraqis are to rebuild a prosperous, inclusive and resilient country – a nation whose sovereignty is strong enough to resist entities that actively seek to hinder, delay or undermine Iraq’s stability – this same unity must continue to prevail. There is an opportunity to move forward. The interests of the country must be prioritized above all else. Is people and its forces must join hands to defend hard-won victories. Dialogue must pave the way to understanding, reconciliation and progress.”
“The longstanding demands are legitimate, and immediate, tangible results are of great importance to revive public trust. At the same time, one cannot expect quick fixes or miracles in dealing with the legacy of the past and the many challenges of the present. Moreover, a government cannot go it alone: it is a joint responsibility. Iraq’s daunting challenges did not arise overnight, nor are they solely the product of Iraqi actions. The harsh reality is that it takes time to deliver. Iraqis must press ahead, in unity, and with an engaged United Nations at their side,” she added.
