Basra unrest tops new Iraqi government agenda

After months of delays, Iraq finally has a new president and prime minister. The new leadership faces major challenges with a disgruntled Iraqi public.

Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi will have to deal with ongoing economic crises that lead to months of violent protest in the country’s southern, oil-rich Basra province. It’s home to Iraq’s only seaport and oil fields that produce 75 percent of Iraq’s oil, but despite the province’s economic advantages, locals say that they see very few benefits from the government.

The outgoing administration promised a multibillion-dollar emergency programme to restore infrastructure in hopes of quelling the protests, but simmering resentment remains.

Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Adow reports from Baghdad.