Three days of anti-government demonstrations in Iraq, dispersed by security forces using live ammunition, tear gas or water cannons, now stand at 27 dead and more than 600 wounded, according to reports. the authorities quoted by Reuters.

Iraqi security forces opened fire on Thursday (October 3rd) some 4,000 demonstrators braving the curfew in Baghdad and exchanging gunfire with gunmen in several southern Shiite cities.

The curfew has been in effect since Thursday in Baghdad and Nassiria and Amara in the south of the country, or Najaf and Hilla, south of the capital.

Protesters, whose movement began Tuesday in the capital, denounce unemployment, corruption and degradation of public services. It is a real test for the government of Adel Abdel-Mahdi, in power for almost a year.

This movement remains so far, made unpublished in Iraq, spontaneous while no political or religious party or leader has declared itself at its origin.

On October 2, however, Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr called on his numerous supporters, who had already paralyzed the country in 2016 with demonstrations in the capital, to organize "peaceful sit-ins".

Internet "largely cut off"

In addition, the Internet was cut Thursday in much of the country, while the events were born of calls on social networks.

Since Wednesday, social networks have gradually ceased to be accessible in Baghdad and the south of the country and demonstrators said they could not communicate or post images online. These restrictions were then extended to the entire Internet network, making Iraq a "largely cut off" world, according to NetBlocks, an international observatory of the Internet. And this, because of "restrictions decided" by suppliers.

On Thursday morning, about 75 percent of the country was offline after operators Earthlink, Asiacell and Zain "intentionally cut off" access to the web, says NetBlocks.

The north of the country, including autonomous Kurdistan dominated by another operator, was not affected

During a previous social movement in the south of the country during the summer of 2018, internet as well as foreign telephone calls had already been cut by the authorities. Here too, social networks were first made inaccessible before the connection was completely interrupted.

The Iraqi authorities have so far not commented on the disconnection of three quarters of the country, where several cities were under curfew.

With Reuters and AFP