Alghadeer TV Alghadeer TV
Protestors in Iraq on Wednesday blocked the entrance of two oil refineries in southern Iraq as nationwide demonstrations rage on.
Security and oil sources said demonstrators blocked the entrance of the Nassiriya oil refinery, obstructing tankers that transport fuel to petrol stations from entering the facility, Reuters reports.
The incident has caused fuel shortages across Iraq’s southern Dhi Qar province, it added.
Before the protests began in early October, the Nassiriya refinery was producing at least 30,000 barrels of oil per day (BPD), but that number has dropped as low as 15,000 BPD.
Elsewhere, protestors closed the Al-Shanfiyah, located south of Diwaniya province, preventing trucks from entering or leaving, Anadolu Agency reported.
The United Nations has called for an end to the bloodshed, calling on both protesters and security forces to end violence and begin a dialogue.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, said the closure of ports and oil refineries are “detrimental” to the country’s economy.
“Disruption of critical infrastructure also of grave concern,” she wrote. It is the “responsibility of all to protect public facilities.”
Threats and closures “of roads to oil installations, ports [are] causing billions in losses [and] undermines fulfilling protestors’ legitimate demands.”
Disruption of critical infrastructure also of grave concern. Responsibility of all to protect public facilities. Threats/closures of roads to oil installations, ports causing billions in losses. Detrimental to #Iraq’s economy, undermines fulfilling protesters’ legitimate demands.
— Jeanine Hennis (@JeanineHennis) November 6, 2019
On Sunday, Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi also called for an end to the nationwide protests, which he complained are affecting the country’s economy.
Demonstrators have used tires, stones, and metals to block the main entrance to Iraq’s main Gulf port, Umm Qasr, which receives imports of grain, vegetable oils, and sugar shipments and is one of the most significant ports in Iraq.
