Saturday, April 30, 2016

Baghdad Storm

From the BBC:
"Iraqi Shia protesters storm Baghdad parliament"

Hundreds of Shia Muslim activists have stormed Iraq's parliament in protest against ongoing deadlock in approving a new cabinet.vSupporters of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr broke through barricades of the protected Green Zone in Baghdad after MPs again failed to convene for a vote. A state of emergency has been declared in the city, but not a curfew. Security forces near the US embassy later fired tear gas to stop more protesters entering the Green Zone. Earlier this week, hundreds of thousands of people marched towards the Green Zone, the most secure part of Baghdad that houses embassies and government buildings, to protest against the political deadlock.  A new protest outside the zone escalated after parliament again failed to reach a quorum on Saturday. Groups marched on the district soon after the end of a televised appearance by Mr Sadr, although he did not call for the storming of parliament. One protester, Ali Mohammed, said they were angry at the politicians' failure to act. This is a major escalation of a political crisis that's been brewing for months. The Iraqi prime minister set out an ambitious programme for reform last year - intended to foster a sense of political unity and accountability to help Iraq tackle the challenge of a failing economy and even more urgently, the battle against IS. But he's met fierce opposition at every turn in his attempt to cut off the political and financial corruption that's enriched and empowered the elite for so long. Moqtada Sadr has ostensibly supported him in this aim - having reinvented himself as the voice of the angry Iraqi people, fed up with the status quo. But with the storming of parliament by his followers, there must now be a big question over whether he offers support to the beleaguered prime minister, or a challenge.  The protesters are reported to have begun ransacking parliament buildings. United Nations and embassy staff were on lockdown inside their compounds, Reuters reported. Iraq's system of sharing government jobs has long been criticised for promoting unqualified candidates and encouraging corruption.
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^ Maybe the Iraqis should focus on destroying ISIS and freeing their own country that currently live in areas occupied by them. These same protesters should be sent to liberate Mosul. Once the whole country is free then they can talk about reforms. I'm also not sure that it is wise to storm the Green Zone or the Parliament. Baghdad should be trying to protect itself from more violence and bombings. How would those protesters feel living under ISIS? The Iraqi Government has always been corrupt and pretty weak, but when there's a greater threat you should band together to get rid of it first. ^


http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-36176910

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