Two demonstrators were killed and 200 injured on Tuesday (1 October) in Iraq during protests dispersed by force in Baghdad and in the south of the country. This is the first major social protest since the government was put in place almost a year ago.

In Baghdad, where more than a thousand protesters had gathered to demand work and functional public services, the police fired a lot of live ammunition. For several hours, the center of the Iraqi capital echoed the sound of the bursts, while a column of black smoke rose from the iconic Tahrir Square, the traditional meeting place for protesters in Baghdad.

Demonstrations were also dispersed on Tuesday in Nassiriya, Zi Qar province, and Najaf, south of Baghdad. "One protester was killed and two others wounded, one seriously, while 25 members of the security forces were wounded," said Zi Qar's health director, Abdel Hussein al-Jaberi.

"The thieves robbed us"

In Baghdad, the afternoon began with the first rally of more than a thousand protesters who, under a cloud of Iraqi flags, chanted: "The thieves looted us", referring to the leaders of Iraq , the twelfth most corrupt country in the world according to Transparency International.

Abbas Fadhel, a 30-year-old protester, said: "The problem is that Parliament is a haven for gangs that share everything between them." These "corrupt" brought only "wars, blood, fighting and looting", adds Moustapha Khaled, 34-year-old demonstrator, who claims "a city where everything works, reconstruction, work, public services ... ".

In the face of protesters, the riot police initially loaded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Then, posted in a disused high tower that overlooks Tahrir Square and al-Joumhouriya Bridge, which leads to the Green Zone where the US Embassy and Parliament sit, they fired live ammunition.

200 wounded including 160 civilians

The Ministry of Health reported in a statement that "one civilian was killed and 200 wounded, including 160 civilians and 40 law enforcement officers" in Baghdad. Most of the injured were admitted to the hospital because they were suffocating with tear gas, while some were injured by rubber bullets, medical sources told AFP.

Demonstrations against power are not uncommon in Iraq, but since the arrival of Adel Abdel Mahdi's government on October 25, 2018, no spontaneous appearance such as this one has been of such magnitude.

Traditionally, processions denouncing power take the direction of the Green Zone, ultrabunkerized neighborhood because housing including the seat of government and the US Embassy. But they were barred from access by concrete walls and military checkpoints. In June, however, the Green Zone was opened, and entry of protesters into this area could paralyze institutions.

In a country devastated by wars, and in chronic shortage of electricity and drinking water for years, demonstrations against leaders are common, but usually they are called by political or religious leaders.

No organization behind the event

Tuesday's mobilization brought together all kinds of disappointed Adel Abdel Mahdi's government, from unemployed graduates to supporters of a general who was sidelined a few days ago. No organization, political party or religious leader has come forward to call for demonstrations that have recently blossomed on social networks.

In addition to the slogans demanding work for young people - whose unemployment rate of 25% is twice the national average - and public services, some demonstrators waved signs of support to General Abdel Wahab al-Saadi.

The boss of counter-terrorism, elite units created and armed by the Americans, was sidelined last week by the Prime Minister, provoking an outcry against a decision seen by observers as pro-faction pro-Iran in Iraq.

With AFP