Protesters seeking jobs shut oilfield in Iraq

By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD (AA) – Angry demonstrators shut an oil refinery in Dhi Qar province in southern Iraq on Wednesday amid protests over lack of jobs for local residents, according to witnesses.

Dozens of university graduates gathered in front of the Al-Gharraf oilfield to demand employment, witnesses said.

“They protested a month after they applied for jobs in the oilfield but received no reply,” a local resident, who requested anonymity, told Anadolu Agency.

The predominantly Shia province has the Nassiriya and Al-Gharraf oilfields, which produce some 290,000 barrels of oil per day and about 60 million cubic feet of gas.

Crude oil production in Iraq averages 4.5 million barrels per day where oil constitutes 90% of Iraq revenues.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar