Iraq: ISHM 225: October 3 - October 10, 2019
Key Takeaways:
Government Crackdown Kills At Least 110, Injures Thousands; Prime Minister Offers Reform And Aid Packages To Contain Crisis; Parliament To Suspend Provincial Councils; Two New Ministers Confirmed In Cabinet Reshuffle – Anti-government protests in central and southern Iraq, which started on October 1, escalated through October 8, amid an intense security crackdown. The use of excessive force by government forces, including live bullets, left at least 110 protesters dead and 6,000 injured. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for an end to violence and blamed the crisis on the failure of the political class and previous governments to enact political and economic reforms. Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi launched a series of aid and reform packages in an attempt to contain widespread protests and assuage public discontent. These included housing initiatives, new welfare programs (including stipends fro students and the unemployed), small business programs, agricultural land redistribution, and more government jobs and contracts. On October 8, Parliament voted to initiate a motion to amend existing laws and enable the legislature to suspend the work of provincial councils across Iraq. On October 10, Parliament voted to approve new ministers of health and education. Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi intends to change at least other members of his cabinet. more…
ISIS Briefly Cuts Major Highway; Turkish Offensive In Syria Raises Raises Risks For Iraq; Iran To Send “Special Police” Into Iraq; ISIS Activity Displaces 140 Families In Diyala – On October 3, ISIS militants briefly cut off the Baghdad-Samarra highway. Security forces rushed to the area and re-opened the road after fighting off the ISIS militants. On October 8, the KRG urged Turkey, which launched a military operation into Syria, to avoid any action against Syrian Kurds that would compromise the ongoing efforts against ISIS. The incursion raises concerns about a new wave of displaement, the safety of 80,000 already displaced people in camps, and the presence of thousands of ISIS suspects in Syrian-Kurdish custody. On October 8, a senior Iranian police commander announced that 24 “battalions” comprised of 7,500 special police officers will accompany over 3 million Iranians arriving in Iraq’s Karbala province to participate in the Arbaeen pilgrimage. On October 10, local officials in Diyala reported that an increase in ISIS threats and activity near the villages of Waqf basin, northeast of Baqubah, has displaced 140 families over the past two weeks. more…
Mental Health Crisis Overwhelms Sinjar Hospitals; Human Rights Organizations Document Government Abuses Against Protesters And Journalists; 4,000 Displaced Families To Return To Diyala; Aid Agencies Warn Of New Humanitarian Crisis – On October 5, Doctors Without Borders issued a report on the mental health crisis affecting the Yazidi community in Sinjar, where data showed that 100% of the interviewed families had members who suffered from some type of mental illness. On October 7, Iraq’s High Commission for Human Rights condemned the use of excessive violence by Iraqi security forces against protesters, including tear gas, live bullets and arbitrary arrests. On October 9, Amnesty International published a report including eyewitness accounts describing the use of sniper fire by security forces to kill demonstrators. On October 10, Human Rights Watch published a report detailing attacks and acts of intimidation by government forces against journalists and news networks covering the protests. On October 9, security authorities in Diyala allowed the return of 4,000 displaced families back to their homes in areas northeast of Baqubah. On October 10, fifteen aid agencies warned of an impending humanitarian crisis after Turkey launched a new military operation in northeastern Syria. more…
Unrest Impacts Iraq’s Dollar Bonds; Protests Briefly Disrupted Oil Trucking To Jordan; Weatherford Wins Oil Drilling Contracts – On October 4, Iraq’s dollar bond dropped more than 2 cents as widespread protests cast doubt on stability. On October 6, Jordan’s Energy Minister said that the protests in Iraq disrupted oil shipments from Iraq, which started in September at a rate of 10,000 barrels per day, for two days. On October 9, the Iraqi government awarded three contracts to oil services company Weatherford International. The deals involve two years of drilling services to add new development wells, along with five years of related in-country support services. On October 8, the Iraqi government replaced the head of the state grain agency, a move industry sources say may be part of measures to address widespread public discontent with corruption. more…
For more background on most of the institutions, key actors, political parties, and locations mentioned in our takeaways or in the stories that follow, see the ISHM Reference Guide.