The United Nations (UN) has called for an end to the protest violence in Iraq, as the number of deaths from anti-government protests reached almost 100.
The UN is calling for the stoppage of the "senseless loss of life" in the Iraq protests. Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, stated: "Five days of deaths and injuries: this must stop." Hennis-Plasschaert added that those responsible for the deaths should be brought to justice.
A mass rally was held on Saturday in the east of Baghdad, Iraq. According to demonstrators, they are fighting against unemployment, poor public services and corruption in the country. The rally was broken up by security forces.
Security forces were reported to have used live rounds and tear gas against the protesters, resulting in the death of five people. According to the Iraqi parliament's human rights commission, there have been at least 99 deaths and almost 4,000 injuries since the protests began on Tuesday in Baghdad.
The Iraqi government led by Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has been trying to hamper the protest by implementing curfews and a near-total internet blackout. After the daytime curfew was lifted, smaller groups of protesters immediately started to take action.
The violent protests included an attack on several television stations, including the offices of the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news channel, as well as demonstrators setting fire to the headquarters of six different political parties.
On Friday, Prime Minister Mahdi promised to address the concerns of the protesters but argued that there was no "magic solution" to Iraq's problems. While the UN and US have expressed concern over the violence, Mahdi assured that the security forces were following "international standards" in dealing with protesters.
Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most senior Shia Muslim cleric, has also called on the government to address the protesters’ reform demands and argued that it has "not answered the demands of the people to fight corruption or achieved anything on the ground".
