Baghdad Crackdown on Encroachments Leaves Thousands Jobless
Baghdad's campaign to remove encroachments, particularly in Sadr City markets, has left thousands jobless. While many accept the decision, they urgently demand alternative livelihoods to avoid economic hardship and potential social unrest.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A large-scale campaign to remove encroachments in Baghdad, particularly targeting popular markets in Sadr City, has left hundreds of workers without jobs or a source of income, Kurdistan24’s correspondent in Baghdad, Seif Ali, reports.
The decision to dismantle the long-standing Muridi market in Sadr City, a fixture for over three decades, has sent shockwaves through the community, leaving thousands of workers facing an uncertain future.
“There are more than 15,000 commercial stalls here, and more than 40,000 people work in them,” a shop owner in the market told Kurdistan24. “If the market is removed, it means cutting off the livelihoods of thousands of families. This is a great injustice.”
Workers express fear about the lack of alternatives and the potential consequences of widespread joblessness.
"After the decision was issued to remove the Muridi market, where will the workers who have been here for years go?" a worker in the market told Kurdistan24. "There are no alternatives. This pushes workers to turn to other, deviant ways to earn a living, such as robbery or drugs."
While many shop owners and stallholders say they have accepted the decision to remove the market, the primary concern is the lack of viable alternatives for those whose livelihoods depend on it.
“We did not object to the decision to remove the encroachments; we support the decision, and the majority of shop owners are cooperating with the authorities,” another worker in the market told Kurdistan24. “But there are people working in the market whose situations are difficult, and they live on what they earn from their work in this market. We want an alternative to this market. I am a citizen, and it is my right to live.”
As the Muridi market faces imminent removal, its workers are bracing to join the "army of the unemployed," according to the report, demanding that the authorities provide them with an alternative source of livelihood.
Kurdistan24’s correspondent in Baghdad, Seif Ali, contributed to this report.
