Public anger combusts at violent oil field protests

Protesters gather to block a road leading to Basra's Fao oil depot on Aug. 2, 2022. (JASSIM AL-JABIRI/Iraq Oil Report)

AMARA - Protests around southern Iraq are threatening to disrupt oil operations as services fail in the scorching midsummer heat and frustration grows over unemployment and government dysfunction.

The most volatile recent protests targeted the Halfaya oil field in Missan province on Sunday, when rioters tried to break into a gas facility at the PetroChina-operated project, injuring 18 security officers including two who were hospitalized, according to a Sunday statement by the Missan police.