Iraqi Govt. Faces Political, Popular Pressure over Financial Crisis

Demonstrators in Baghdad in November 2019. (Reuters)
Demonstrators in Baghdad in November 2019. (Reuters)
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Iraqi Govt. Faces Political, Popular Pressure over Financial Crisis

Demonstrators in Baghdad in November 2019. (Reuters)
Demonstrators in Baghdad in November 2019. (Reuters)

The Iraqi government is in crisis after failing to pay the salaries of public servants on a regular basis since it was formed back in May.

Iraqi families are still waiting to receive their wages for the month of October.

The government has been pressing the parliament to approve a new loan in order to resolve the payroll crisis and other financial problems.

These efforts have, however, been met with political blocs that are setting their conditions for the approval of the lending law.

In addition to the political pressure, hundreds of public sector employees staged rallies in the Karbala, Babel, Maysan, Dhi Qar and Diwaniyah provinces in protest against the delays in receiving their salaries.

On Sunday, the Fatah Coalition called on the government to take “real” actions to address the salary crisis, expressing its readiness to support such steps at parliament.

“We are continuously following all measures that must be taken to address the salary crisis and provide the necessary allocations. The government should provide realistic practical solutions that, on one hand, secure salaries and at the same time do not burden the Iraqi Treasury with more loans,” it said.

The bloc said it would be supportive of such actions, and will vote on them quickly.

The Ministry of Finance said it was forced to ask for a new loan of around $40 billion from parliament to pay the deficit in government expenditures and salaries.

On Saturday, the parliamentary finance committee decided to reconsider the amount of the government borrowing, in order to avoid burdening the state with debts.

The committee stressed the need to limit the loan to the necessary expenditures, such as salaries of employees and retirees, social welfare dues and farmers, medicines to confront the coronavirus pandemic and the ration card. Funds must also be allocated to investment projects to boost the economy and provide job opportunities.



Top Houthi Leaders Flee Sanaa Amid Trump-Ordered US Strikes

Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)
Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)
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Top Houthi Leaders Flee Sanaa Amid Trump-Ordered US Strikes

Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)
Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)

Senior Houthi leaders have disappeared from public life in Sanaa, gripped by fear of US airstrikes ordered by President Donald Trump, now entering their third week, sources in Yemen said.

The first-tier leadership of the Iran-aligned group is believed to have fled the capital, which remains under Houthi control, seeking shelter in remote areas of Saada and Amran provinces.

According to informed sources, the group’s leaders have severed traditional communication channels and several have either gone into hiding or relocated to undisclosed locations as a precaution against possible targeted strikes.

Since the launch of US airstrikes on March 15, senior and mid-level Houthi leaders have vanished from public view and social media platforms, Yemeni sources say, as fear of targeted attacks continues to grow within the group’s ranks.

Informed sources confirmed there has been no trace of the group’s top two tiers of leadership - neither in the institutions under Houthi control in Sanaa, nor on the streets and neighborhoods they once frequented in luxury vehicles.

Even the sectarian events that Houthi leaders were known to regularly attend have reportedly gone on without their visible presence.

The Houthi group has remained tight-lipped about the extent of its human and military losses following US airstrikes ordered by Trump.

However, sources say several leaders not belonging to the ruling family of Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi are still believed to be in Sanaa.

Many of these figures have adopted strict security measures to avoid detection, including travelling in vehicles with tinted windows and covering their faces with cloaks when leaving temporary residences, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The precautions reflect growing fears of betrayal or being targeted by further strikes.

A source in Sanaa revealed that third-tier Houthi officials—mostly tribal figures and field supervisors—were instructed to flee to the northern provinces of Saada, Amran and other areas as US air raids intensified.

According to the source, mid-level Houthi officials have lost all direct contact with the group’s senior leadership after the latter switched locations and shut down their communication lines.