AP News, April 16th, 2007
Thousands of Iraqis upset about poor city services marched peacefully through the streets of Basra on Monday, demanding the provincial governor's resignation despite calls by top officials to call off the protest.
Some 3,000 demonstrators gathered near the Basra mosque and marched a few hundred yards to the governor's office, which was surrounded by Iraqi soldiers and police. A small number of demonstrators carried light weapons.
"We call for the resignation of the Basra governor," read one banner carried by demonstrators. "We call for the government to remove the governor," read another. Others waved Iraqi flags and chanted "No, no to the governor!"
Protesters dispersed peacefully after a few hours, and called for a three-day sit-in in front of the governor's office starting Tuesday. If their demands are not met within three days, the sit-in could be extended, they said.
Residents have complained of inadequate electricity, garbage disposal and water supplies in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city about 340 miles southeast of Baghdad.
Basra's services, however, are considered better than several other Iraqi cities. Residents get electricity for about 20 hours a day, and water is available most of the time. But some neighborhoods have no garbage collection, and in some areas the sewage system is so old it seeps into the streets.
Leaflets distributed after Friday prayers in Basra called for the peaceful march to seek Gov. Mohammed al-Waili's resignation.
The leaflets were signed by the previously unknown "Basra Mobs," but residents said the name was a cover for followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. A dozen people were wounded last month when his Mahdi Army fighters clashed with those of the rival Shiite Fadhila party.
Al-Waili, a Fadhila member, told reporters Saturday that he feared the demonstrators planned to storm his office and kill him, then take control of government banks and a state-run oil company.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had contacted religious and political leaders in Basra on Sunday and won their promise to cancel the march, his office said in a statement.
Parliament speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani said during a parliament session Sunday that "the situation has to be calm. We are passing through difficult periods and demonstrations are not the solution."
