Iraq’s security troops have dispersed two sit-ins in southern Iraq, one at a key oil field, local media report . The field is West Qurna-1, one of the biggest in this part of the country. Iraqi News cited an unnamed source as saying that protesters had gathered at the field and at the provincial council in Basra and had started preparing for sit-ins before the security troops interfered and forcibly dispersed them. The sit-ins come a day after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on his Twitter account the firing of Electricity Minister due to “poor performance”. Blackouts are one of the reasons for the widespread protests that began three weeks ago in Basra and spread across Iraq. At least two previous electricity ministers, Deutsche Welle notes, have been accused of corruption. Besides corruption, protesters have cited unemployment, poor governance, and alleged Iranian interference in Iraq’s internal affairs. Earlier this […]