IRAQI communists condemned “bloody violence and repression” in Basra today, calling on the government to immediately stop the “inhumane” treatment of peaceful protesters.

At least eight people have been killed by security forces during weeks of popular unrest in the southern Iraqi city where residents have expressed anger over the collapse of infrastructure, rising unemployment and water shortages.

The Iraqi Communist Party (ICP) warned that the protests erupted because the government has continued to ignore “legitimate demands and the slow-handling of the burning problems that have turned the lives of millions of people into unbearable daily suffering.”

A planned curfew of the city was scrapped minutes before it was due to take hold after demonstrators blocked the key port of Umm Qasr yesterday. 

They prevented trucks from leaving and chanted anti-government slogans.

No new government has been formed since the Sairoun Coalition — an alliance between Islamist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and the ICP — topped the polls in May’s general election.

They are negotiating with other groupings to form a government but efforts have been hampered after a recount was ordered following fraud allegations.

The ICP urged the government to invest in jobs and infrastructure and take urgent measures to resolve Basra’s severe water shortage. 

In a statement the ICP demanded an end to state violence and justice for those who have been killed by Iraqi security services.

“Bloody violence and repression in Basra must stop immediately.

“Those responsible for the repression and the lethal shooting of peaceful demonstrators must be held accountable without delay and receive the punishment they deserve.”