The Iraqi government announced the release of funds allocated for the implementation of projects in the central and southern provinces, which have been witnessing popular demonstrations since July 8 against poor services and unemployment.
The Ministry of Planning announced on Thursday that the government has approved the release of the special financial allocations for the four provinces: Basra, Dhi Qar, Muthanna and Najaf.
Minister of Planning Salman al-Jumaili said in a joint press conference with the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, Maher Hammad, that vigorous efforts were deployed to invest the remainder of the emergency budget in order to resolve financial problems impeding the implementation of projects approved in a recent workshop that defined the pressing needs of Iraq’s central and southern provinces.
Jumaili described the government’s investment plan for next year as ambitious because it “allows the inclusion of new projects and the completion of stalled programs that will meet an important part of the citizens’ needs, in the wake of the significant rise in oil prices.”
The water and electricity sector will be dealt with as a priority, according to the minister, who noted that the same work mechanism would be adopted in the other provinces to resolve pending problems and facilitate relevant measures for implementation.
The Ministry of Finance stressed that it was working “within a very flexible framework to cover many details in the demands of local communities and citizens and in the provision of services, although it is constrained by a legal ceiling imposed in the budget law.”
The unrest erupted in Basra province on July 8 when security forces opened fire, killing one person as protesters demanded jobs and basic services including electricity.
Others killed during the protests were shot by unknown assailants.
The Iraqi government swiftly denounced “vandals” accused of infiltrating the protests.
