Iraqi protesters on Thursday closed down the main roads leading to Umm Qasr and Khor al-Zubair ports in the southern city of Basra.
According to local media reports, scores of tankers and trucks are lined up on the roads after the protesters prevented their passage to and from the port.
The crowd are asking for job opportunities for the local people of the oil-rich province, complaining about the large number of non-local employees of the major companies operating in their areas.
They are also unsatisfied with the lack of services while the province generates the largest portion of Iraq’s annual revenues.
Massive protests have hit Iraq since early October. People are calling for reforms, jobs, and improved living conditions.
The protests, however, have not been peaceful. Iraq’s Commission for Human Rights says over 450 people were killed and more than 17,000 have been injured.