SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Head of Iraq’s State of Law Nouri al-Maliki said what is happening in Dhi Qar province is a “prelude” to declaring a region, which Nasiriyah will be its center, according to Iraqi media.
Protests broke out in Dhi Qar province on February 21. The protesters called for the resignation of the governor and justice for demonstrators who have been killed since 2019.
At least five protesters were killed and more than 175 others were wounded in clashes between protesters and the security forces in the province, medics told Reuters.
“The plan was carried out by external parties without the protesters being aware of this, and we inform them to pay attention,” Iraqi media quoted Maliki as saying during a televised interview.
“We have reached a stage that neither the state has any prestige nor the demands of the protesters have been fulfilled,” he added.
Dhi Qar Governor Nazim Waali submitted his resignation to Kadhimi on Friday night, saying he had stepped down to “preserve the blood of the sons of Dhi Qar”.
Kadhimi appointed the head of the national security agency, Abdul Ghani al-Asadi, as interim governor, and directed him to form a committee to investigate the violence in the province.
In a statement on Saturday, Kadhimi’s office said the appointment of a new governor, the formation of an advisory council and launching an investigation into the deadly protests “mark a major campaign to rebuild the province”.
The Iraqi prime minister also called for calm in the province to “give a sufficient opportunity to the new administration to carry out its tasks in the service of the city’s people”.
