FILE - In this Dec. 13, 2009 file photo, men work at the Rumaila oil refinery, near the Iraqi city of Basra. Iraq is rich in oil, but protesters say they don't see the fruits of this wealth. Fueling the unrest is anger over an economy flush with oil money that has failed to bring jobs or improvements to the lives of young people, who are the majority of those taking to the streets. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani, File)
The Associated Press
BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq is rich in oil, but protesters say they don't see the fruits of this wealth.
The main reason why oil money doesn't trickle down to the people? Bloated public sector budgets to maintain political patronage networks.
Waves of violent protests have engulfed Baghdad and Iraq's south, with demonstrators chanting for the downfall of a political establishment they say doesn't prioritize them.
Fueling the unrest is anger over an economy flush with oil money that has failed to bring jobs or improvements to the lives of young people, who are the majority of those taking to the streets.
They say they have had enough of blatant government corruption and subpar basic services.
At least 320 people have died, and thousands have been wounded since the unrest began on Oct. 1.
FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019 file photo, protesters try to pull down concrete barriers during clashes with Iraqi security forces in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. Iraq is rich in oil, but protesters say they don't see the fruits of this wealth. Fueling the unrest, which began in October, is anger over an economy flush with oil money that has failed to bring jobs or improvements to the lives of young people, who are the majority of those taking to the streets. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Dec. 14, 2011 file photo, workers repair oil pipelines at Rumaila oil fields, near the southern Iraqi city of Basra. Iraq is rich in oil, but protesters say they don't see the fruits of this wealth. Fueling the unrest, which began on Oct. 1, 2019, is anger over an economy flush with oil money that has failed to bring jobs or improvements to the lives of young people, who are the majority of those taking to the streets. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani, File)
The Associated Press