Fresh anti-government protests broke out in Iraq on Saturday, leaving at least eight people dead. Four were killed in the south of the country and another four in Baghdad's Tahrir Square, where 84 were also injured.
The demonstrations came a day after more than 50 people were killed and another 2,000 were injured as the second wave of angry protests swept the country.
The first four deaths on Saturday occurred in the southern city of Nasiriya, where a further 17 people were injured. A group of protesters also separated from the group of thousands of protesters to attempt to storm the house of a local official.
The protesters set fire to the building and were met with gunfire from guards, according to police.
In Baghdad, security forces used tear gas to disperse protesters in Tahrir Square. Officials report that four people died after being hit in the head by tear gas canisters.
Read more: What's behind the protests in Iraq?
Men carry the coffin of a protester killed on Friday
Protesters 'better prepared'
Protesters brought masks and homemade tear gas remedies with them to the square on Saturday.
Funerals were already held for some of those killed on Friday.
The Iraqi parliament were set to meet on Saturday for an emergency meeting on the protests, but the session was scrapped after lawmakers failed to reach a quorum on how to address protesters' demands.
Separately, Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi ordered the elite counter-terrorism unit to deploy in Baghdad to "use all necessary measures" to quell the protests, two security sources told Reuters.
A heavy security and police presence may have dissuaded some protesters in Iraq's southern provinces, where the demonstrations were concentrated on Friday. A curfew is in effect in most urban areas.
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Violence erupts during protests in Iraq
Protests begin as civilians try to enter government property
On October 1, thousands of protesters took to the streets in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad to protest the government. Among their demands were reducing unemployment, providing better services and ending corruption. The demonstrations converged on the centrally located Tahrir Square. The protesters also tried to enter the fortified Green Zone, which houses embassies and government buildings.
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Violence erupts during protests in Iraq
Violent police crackdown
Security forces responded to the protesters attempt to enter the Green Zone by blocking roads and using tear gas, stun guns and water canons. After the demonstrators refused to leave, the forces opened fire with rubber bullets and with live fire. More than 200 were reportedly injured and one died. One other person died and dozens more were injured in related protests elsewhere in Iraq.
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Violence erupts during protests in Iraq
Calls for restraint
The embattled Iraqi government has only been in power since October 2018. Following the protests, it increased security in Baghdad. Iraqi President Barham Saleh (pictured above in a photo from March 2019) urged "restraint and respect for the law." The UN's top official in Iraq also expressed "grave concern."
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Violence erupts during protests in Iraq
More protests, more deaths
Protests continued despite the violence. On October 2, fresh demonstrations broke out in downtown Baghdad. Police, who were at the ready with armored vehicles and riot gear, responded with more live fire. By the end of the day, seven people were killed, bringing the total death count over the first two days of October to nine.
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Violence erupts during protests in Iraq
Protest multiply
The demonstrations and riots also spread from Baghdad to Iraq's south. In some places demonstrators set buildings on fire. Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi blamed the violence on "aggressors" and called an emergency national security meeting. While some politicians joined him in criticizing the protesters, others condemned the government's response.
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Violence erupts during protests in Iraq
More instability ahead
The government issued a curfew in Baghdad and three southern cities as standoffs continued nationwide, including at the airport outside the capital. By the end of October 3, at least 25 people had been killed. The border between Iraq and Iran was closed ahead of a religious pilgrimage to the Iraqi city of Karbala. Iran urged its citizens not to travel to Iraq; Bahrain issued a similar warning.
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Violence erupts during protests in Iraq
Anti-government blogger arrested
Come mid-October, determined protesters set fires and closed streets. Meanwhile, Shujaa al-Khafaji, an Iraqi blogger, had been detained, apparently over his coverage of the unrest. A relative of the outspoken writer, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said heavily armed masked gunmen snatched him from his apartment in a dawn raid.
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Violence erupts during protests in Iraq
No end in sight as death toll rises
As the month neared its end, there was no conclusion to the angry protests. Prime Minister Adel Abdel-Mahdi promised reforms, but still civilians gathered in Baghdad's Tahrir Square waving Iraqi flags and chanting slogans demanding the resignation of the government. More deaths ensued as unrest escalated both in the capital and in the mainly Shiite-populated southern provinces.
Author: Cristina Burack
Protesters demand electoral reform
Protesters are seeking reforms to electoral law and a new electoral commission with independent members. They also want to remove the current government.
Thousands of people have been injured across the country since the protests began at the beginning of the month, with almost 200 deaths reported, according to medical sources.
Protesters on Saturday were trying to enter the so-called Green Zone in Baghdad, where the US embassy and Iraqi government headquarters are located.
ed/stb (Reuters, AFP)
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