Baghdad clamps down on tuk-tuks, the symbol of Iraqi protests

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Baghdad traffic authorities have moved to take thousands of  tuk-tuks off of the streets, cracking down on a key symbol of the Iraqi protest movement. 

Tuk-tuks are three-wheeled rickshaws used as taxis in many Asian countries. In Iraq, they became a vital lifeline for protesters injured in demonstrations that swept across Iraq from October 2019, with drivers often ferrying them to hospitals while under sniper fire. 

Fadi Imad, head of the media office of Baghdad’s traffic police department told Rudaw on Sunday that most tuk-tuks are not registered with Baghdad traffic police, and are therefore not allowed to stay on the streets. 

“Tuk-tuks and other motorcycles are not registered by Baghdad traffic police department,” Imad said.

“Motorcycles including tuk-tuks are not permitted to stay on the streets while they are not registered, otherwise they will be seized and [drivers] will be fined 200,000 Iraqi dinars ($168).”

According to the department, there are more than 1,000,000 tuk-tuks in Baghdad alone, while only 100,000 are registered.

The move spells disaster for many drivers, who are losing their only source of income. 

Matar Haider, a tuk-tuk driver in Baghdad told Rudaw on Sunday that they are using the motorcycles to feed their families amid a deepening economic crisis. 

“We don’t have any salaries from the government, nor from any other institution,” Haider said. “I make 10,000 to 15,000 Iraqi dinars ($8.40-$12.60) to provide food for my family. We don’t have anything else to depend on. I call on the government to come and see my situation at home before banning our tuk-tuks.”

Karrar Sajil, a young tuk-tuk driver told Rudaw that the police follow them on a daily basis to seize their tuk-tuks.

“I have a family to feed. I don’t know why they [government] want us to give up our tuk-tuks,” Sajil said. “I make 1,000-2,000 Iraqi dinars ($0.84-$1.68) for every passenger, while the police vehicles keep following and chasing us to stop us from making money for our families.”

Before the coronavirus pandemic placed the country under lockdown, Iraq had been rocked by months of nationwide unrest as overwhelmingly young crowds demanded jobs, services, and action against corruption.

When security forces and pro-Iran militias began attacking the protesters, killing hundreds, activists began demanding an end to foreign interference in Iraqi affairs and called for the overthrow of the political elite.

By the end of November last year, Adil Abdul-Mahdi had resigned as prime minister.

At least 600 protesters and members of the security forces were killed and more than 18,000 injured over the months since the movement emerged in October, according to human rights monitor Amnesty International.

Continued demonstrations

While the movement has largely abated, small-scale protests continue in the Iraqi capital.

Recent medical school graduates gathered in Baghdad on Sunday, demanding government employment.

Haider Mohammed, a medical student and protester told Rudaw on Sunday that he feels hopeless and will stop his other family members from studying.

“Iraq has no intention to employ students anymore, so I will make sure to prevent my brother and other family members from going to school, because they will end up unemployed like me. Being a daily worker, or labourer, is much better in Iraq.”

Mustafa Ahmed, another protester, told Rudaw that “Iraqi officials, including Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, and minister of health have brought Iraq to what it is today.”

Supporters of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, also known as Hashd al-Shaabi) also protested on Sunday near the Green Zone, aiming to storm the international zone and attack the embassy of Saudi Arabia.

Videos circulating on social media showed PMF commanders and supporters clashing with Iraqi security forces after Saudi state-owned newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat published an offensive cartoon last week of Iraq’s highest Shiite authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

In a video, a commander of the PMF’s 43rd brigade asked Iraqi security forces to let the protesters enter the Green Zone and protest in front of the embassy.

“We are brothers in arms, Saudi Arabia humiliated Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and we should not let them do that, as Sistani was the reason for keeping Iraq all together,” the PMF commander said in the video.
  
Although the PMF has been brought under the umbrella of the official Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), some factions continue to act independently. 

Additional reporting by Mustafa Goran in Baghdad