Residents block Diwaniyah-Najaf road to protest poor public services

DIWANIYAH — Dozens of residents from the Raghiliya area in Diwaniyah’s Shamiya district blocked the road connecting Diwaniyah and Najaf, protesting the deteriorating public services and the local government’s failure to respond to repeated pleas for help. The demonstrators called on the prime minister to personally intervene, citing worsening infrastructure, overcrowded schools, and a lack of proper water supply that forces many families to rely on well water for drinking.

“We are appealing directly to the prime minister to address the situation in western Al-Askari neighborhood in Shamiya and the district as a whole. We have many demands and have been deprived of services since the fall of the Ba’ath regime. We want a committee from the prime minister’s office to visit us. We didn’t protest for no reason—we are facing real injustice and suffering,” a protester told 964media.

Protester Haidar Akab criticized the local government’s failure to respond. “You have seen us protesting, yet we did not appeal to the Diwaniyah government. We gave up on them. We’ve called them repeatedly—even two days ago—but they either ignored us or failed to respond properly,” he said.

During the protest, demonstrators burned tires in the streets, waved Iraqi flags, and performed traditional dances while chanting demands for improved services.

Another protester, Qusai Salman, described the dire living conditions in the area. “These protests are spontaneous. People are frustrated because there are no services. Many families here—around 1,500 homes—depend on well water for drinking. Streets are nonexistent, not even dirt roads. We had to open them ourselves with our own efforts. There is no sewage system, despite a project being launched in 2012,” he said.

He also highlighted problems in the education sector. “There are schools that were completed nearly four years ago, but they have not been opened. We have first graders studying in overcrowded conditions. One school in our area has 1,600 students—have you ever seen an elementary school that crowded?” he said.

He added that poor infrastructure extends beyond just one area. “Shamiya, and Diwaniyah as a whole, has turned into a swamp. Roads are being torn apart and left in ruins.”