Nahr Al-Az
Basra residents protest to demand basic services
BASRA – Residents of Nahr Al-Az in northern Basra took to the streets on Sunday to protest severe service deficiencies in their area, demanding immediate governmental action. The demonstration, held in front of the Al-Thagr sub-district directorate, highlighted the protesters’ threats of escalating their actions with a potential sit-in at the nearby West Qurna oil field.
Sheikh Ali Sabah Hatem Al Shaghanbi, one of the protesters, articulated the community’s frustrations to 964media, stating the necessity for a new sub-district to address the service crisis affecting approximately 50,000 residents across several tribes. The protesters are calling for the construction of schools, roads, a water desalination complex, clinics, job creation, and resolution to ongoing power instability.
Mohammed Nasser, another participant, emphasized the dire conditions: “No clean water, no stable electricity, and a lack of schools make us feel as if we are outside Iraq.”
Mayor of Al-Thagr Municipality Raed Imad Al Maliki, attributed these issues to budgetary constraints: “We raised several projects to pave the roads in the Nahr Al-Az area within the regional development projects and the development fund, but they were halted due to the absence of general budgets in the country in recent years.”