DIWANIYAH, Iraq — The central Iraqi province of Diwaniyah is the second poorest province in the country.
Local residents have told Rudaw of the problems they face, including poverty, a lack of basic services, and corruption.
"The best times were during the rule of Ahmed Hassan Bakir, Abdulkarim Qasim and even Saddam Hussein. We have had nothing since 2003, making problems even worse. It’s all because we haven’t had a good government," said restaurant owner Haji Abbas Kadhim.
"You can’t get anything done at the government departments unless you pay."
According to the latest data from the Iraqi Planning Ministry, 47 percent of people in Diwaniyah live below the poverty line.
"Just like any other Iraqi province, there are no services in Diwaniyah, especially in terms of health and municipal services. Provincial authorities are the only ones to blame for this neglect," added lawyer Jabbar Khalefawi.
Like other parts of Iraq, Diwaniyah was witnessed demonstrations over corruption, unemployment and service provision since the protest movement began in October 2019.
The governor says the problem lies with the government.
"I do not know why they do this to us. Do we have oil revenues? No. Do we have border crossing revenues? No. Do we have tourism revenues? No. All we have is agriculture and yet we have not received money to boost our agriculture sector," said Zuhair Shaalan.
Translation by Zhelwan Z Wali
Video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed
