Thousands protest at Iraq's giant West Qurna 1 oil field

Shafaq News- Basra

Thousands of tribesmen from northern Basra rallied outside the West Qurna 1 oil field on Tuesday, one of the largest in Iraq and the world, stepping up five days of protests over jobs and long-stalled public services.

The protesters aim to encircle the field to pressure the government into meeting their demands, after years of appeals over employment and delayed projects, a Shafaq News correspondent said. Residents of the Al-Sadiq district have kept up a sit-in near the field's entrance since Friday, vowing to stay until their demands are met.

West Qurna 1 lies about 50 kilometers northwest of the city of Basra and holds more than 20 billion barrels of recoverable reserves. It produces more than 25 million tonnes of crude a year, according to the energy platform Attaqa, making it a key source of revenue for a country that relies on oil for most of its income.

Tribes from across northern Basra have gathered at the field because their demands keep being ignored, protest leader Sheikh Maytham al-Mansouri told Shafaq News, saying the movement has entered a new phase.

Beyond jobs for residents, the protesters want work resumed on a bridge linking the Al-Sadiq and Izz al-Din Salim districts, and the rebuilding of the Qurna–Basra highway, known locally as the "Death Road." They are also demanding action on public sector jobs, contracts and salaries, better infrastructure and services, the completion of health projects, a fair share of employment for communities near oil fields, and a fix for water pollution.

Al-Mansouri warned the authorities against dismissing the protesters' demands or cracking down. "I will not allow anyone to be arrested except over my dead body," he said.

The protests began peacefully, he said, but "enough is enough. We cannot guarantee the protests will remain peaceful. People are fed up with their demands being ignored for years."

Read more: Discover Iraq: Basra, a city between wealth and withering