Protests against Saudi investment in southern Iraq

A number of Iraqi parties are condemning Saudi investment in Iraq, accusing the kingdom of trying to “seize” large areas of Iraqi land after Riyadh decided to increase investments in the neighboring country.

"This deal results in a violation of the rights of Iraqis and opens doors to a new colonization under the title of investment," claimed former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law coalition.

Saudi Arabia and Iraq agreed in 2017 for the former to turn one million hectares of Iraqi desert in Anbar and Muthanna provinces into farmlands and poultry farms. 

The kingdom announced in mid-October it would increase their investments in Iraq by 10 billion Saudi riyals ($2.7 billion USD), as reported by Saudi Press Agency. 

Iraqis finds in this decision a lot of doubt and questions regarding the timing of its occurrence considering that it has been suggested during previous cabinets and rejected multiple times considering strategic water sources and security.

Slamming the Saudi projects, protesters claim that the investments in Anbar, Najaf, Muthana, and Basra will damage Iraq's security and stability. 

This will also hurt Iraq's underground water reserves due to the crops that will be planted in order to take advantage of Iraq's water, say the protesters.

One of the protesters Sheikh Mashkoor Al-Badr said: "We have not received anything from Saudi Arabia other than suicide bombers and car bombs."

He added: "From the beginning, we have stated our opposition to Saudi investment in the Al-Samawah region, and we will definitely not allow the entry and implementation of Saudi economic projects in this region."