Iraq’s southern uprising could ignite the largest revolt the country has witnessed in recent memory.

South Iraq is aggravating their anger and rage towards their government. The new govt gave them false agendas and promises. And that is becoming the major issues among others. South Iraqi protesters came out on streets and chanted “Down with religious parties” – “out with the illegitimate” – “down with the government”.

Unemployment and sickness due to drought gave the protesters a nonchalant attitude towards everything this govt. has to offer. According to the community, the most heinous kind of corruption is in every layer of the authorities. They want to be rescued along with their previous National Protest Movement, which as per the records was stomped by Iraq’s ex-premier, Nuri Al-Maliki, in early 2012 and then again in 2013.

Najaf Protesters went into the country’s second-largest airport and stopped every activity for a while until the govt took action and got them out. Govt. offices and headquarters were vandalized as well as the streets of Najaf, Samawah took a toll of the agitated mob. Even in some part of Baghdad some buildings and vehicles were set ablaze. The midterm Prime Minister, Haider Al-Abadi, came to Barsa last week when the protests were beginning. The mob got into the hotel he was staying and forced him to move to safety.

Iraq’s military force is a tool for America after the take over of Baghdad city fifteen years back - this fact came into light when the US issued decrees that tore apart the country’s own security threat systems. And as the Iraqi army and security organisations cleared away from the central power, the power-hungry Iraqis came in with the new agendas in their hands, that just stated the oil-rich people’s dissemination and the capital transaction rules. Now after all these years Iraq is having debates on how to security proof the streets of the Capital along with the suburbs.

The previous leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussain, armed his devotees with modern weapons and it caused the country a great deal of death. After the US took the regime in their hands, they planned to disarm the previous Saddam devotees. To do that they chose the current leaders to build the security force and gave them even better quality automatic weapons. When 18 civilians were dead in an ammunition cache explosion in Sadr City earlier this month, arms debate was ignited, and the State Control of Weapons and Ammunitions was called upon for remedy. SCWA has started an investigation into the explosion and the deaths.

Protesters even chanted against Iran and their supreme leader Sayyid Ruhollah Mūsavi Khomeini or as the world knows him Ayatollah Khomeini. Earlier this month Iran stopped the electricity supply to Iraq as a huge amount of electricity bill was due from Iraq ministry. The temperature this year has already crossed 45 C in Southern Iraq and constant power cut in that scorching heat has a major reason behind this agitation.

The state emergency curfews were absent from various southern cities and its suburbs. It actually implicates the detachment between the Central Govt. and the southern constituents.

A leader of Iraq’s Sadrist Movement, Moqtada Al-Sadr [Twitter]

Shia Iraqi Cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr has dismantled his armed brigade south of Iraq, to maintain distance from the corrupt govt. “Sadr has called on his followers not to engage in politics,” confirmed Sadr official Maged Al-Fartousi. A leader of Iraq’s Sadrist Movement said in his office, “Al-Salam Brigade in Basra Province was suspended and its leader Samir Mohammed Luaibi was dismissed ... the interference of the leaders … in government affairs for personal interests”

Iraq’s cities are not used to this kind of protest rallies. Everybody is seeing this as the resurrection of the previous summers, in which the protests were crushed by the oppressors. But the previous experience is frightening the people because of the violence streak created by the govt. For seeking job securities, electricity subsidiary or the continuous privatization of the country’s electrical sector the protesters were dealt with guns, smokes, thrashing, beating and not only by the local police, the SWAT teams and the newly formed security forces were used against them.

But the noninvolvement of some major activists like Sadr and others in this protest is somehow conveying a loss to the cause. The weapon siege act debate results or the issue of putting innocent civilians at risk cannot be changed if the major leaders remain nonchalant. As long as the authorities are afraid of the common people’s power, the violence will not stop.

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