Fuel crisis hits Nasiriyah as protesters continue sit-ins

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A fuel crisis has struck the southern city of Nasiriyah as protesters kept the Nasiriyah oil refinery and Dhi Qar oil distribution department shut for the sixth day in the row, activist confirmed to Rudaw English on Tuesday.

Hundreds of unemployed graduates of petroleum engineering, geology, management, and economics staged a sit-in outside the refinery to demand jobs, and prevented employees from entering the site.

“After several visits to the headquarters of the Dhi Qar Oil Company, the director of the company, Muhammad Khudaier said that the financial allocations for hiring us are available, but the Ministry of Oil keeps rejecting our demands," Nasiriyah activist Ahmed al-Mayahi told Rudaw English.

"Our sit-ins are continuing and our numbers are increasing. We are over a thousand people at the sit-in, and we will not retreat until we are employed," he added.

The Nasiriyah refinery, which has a maximum production capacity of 30,000 barrels per day, issued a statement saying that they were unable to produce and refine crude oil and its derivatives after closing the refinery, Reuters reported, warning that there will be no fuel for public or private vehicles if the situation continues as it is.

The few gas stations still open in the city were crowded with locals, two activists confirmed to Rudaw English, with long queues to buy fuel. 

The unemployment crisis in Iraq has risen with the increase in population, the large number of graduates and the neglect of the private sector in the country, in addition to rampant corruption and an ongoing economic crisis.

Economic woes and unemployment contributed to the outbreak of October 2019 protest movement, in which hundreds of protesters have been killed in a bloody crackdown at the hands of security forces and Iran-backed militias. 

Unemployment stood at 13.74 percent in 2020, according to data from the World Bank.

Mayahi said that the current governor Abdul Ghani al-Asadi threatened to disperse the sit-in by force, describing Asadi as a “military man” who is not suitable for managing the governorate's affairs.

Asadi was appointed as Dhi Qar governor after Nathem al-Waeli stepped down following bloody protests calling for his dismissal. Protesters have also rejected Asadi's appointment. 

However, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Tuesday appealed to the people of Dhi Qar to stand by the local government "regardless of the name of the governor."

The Court of Integrity Investigation on Tuesday issued a summons against Waeli for allegations he blackmailed local government and oil officials, the Federal Commission of Integrity said.

Nasiriyah has witnessed bloody protests and clashes between demonstrators and security forces since 2019. Kadhimi announced that results of an investigation into the killing of protesters in the city will be announced on Wednesday.