day of rage in iraq

[Christopherdel Profile]

At least five people have been killed in anti-government protests in Iraq as thousands take to the streets in cities across the country for a "day of rage".

Baghdad has been virtually locked down, with the authorities banning traffic in the city centre and deploying several thousand soldiers on the streets.

Still, several hundred people gathered in Baghdad's own Tahrir Square, calling for reform, but not regime change


Baghdad has been virtually locked down, with the authorities banning traffic in the city centre and deploying several thousand soldiers on the streets.

Still, several hundred people gathered in Baghdad's own Tahrir Square, calling for reform, but not regime change.

Mass demonstrations are also being held elsewhere in the Middle East.

In Libya, witnesses say government troops opened fire on protesters in Tripoli, as the authorities crack down on opposition protests
Yemen saw some of the largest marches yet by pro- and anti-government protesters in the capital Sanaa
Lock down

Soldiers blocked every road leading into Baghdad to try to stop protesters from carrying out their planned day of rage, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in the Iraqi capital.


Protesters threw rocks and stones at riot police and tried to overturn concrete barriers blocking the Jumhuriyah bridge, near the square.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki urged people not to join the protests for security reasons, and accused the protest organisers of being al-Qaeda insurgents and Saddam Hussein loyalists.

But several hundred people still braved the intimidating military presence to rally in the square, denouncing corruption and poor services, says our correspondent.

But the cry was for reform not revolution. The government was elected only a year ago and includes most of Iraq's main factions, he adds.

"We don't want to change the government, because we elected them, but we want them to get to work," the AFP news agency quoted one 24-year-old student as saying.

"We want them to enforce justice. We want them to fix the roads. We want them to fix the electricity. We want them to fix the water."

The protesters also criticised the comparatively high salaries paid to MPs when many people are struggling to get by

[Alexandr2000 Profile]

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