Protests in Baghdad - how could these affect my trip?
Protestors in Baghdad carry an Iraqi flag.
In recent years, Iraq has been the scene of protests and civil unrest, sometimes large-scale or lasting for many months, particularly in Baghdad and southern Iraq. Protests are often centred around dissatisfaction with Iraq’s complicated political sphere and/or about difficult basic living conditions faced by many.
If you’ve got your trip to Iraq all planned out and suddenly see alarming news headlines about civil unrest in Baghdad, you may wonder how this could affect your holiday.
Having consistently visited Iraq during all sorts of difficulties, including during times of war and mass protests, this is what we can say.
Allow extra time for journeys
Iraqis are masters at containing problems and working around them. This means that areas experiencing civl unrest are usually quickly cordoned off and traffic diverted accordingly. If road or bridge closures are part of this, allow extra time for travel as congestion in Baghdad can be worsened considerably by a few road closures.
Keep plans flexible
Protests may mean that certain areas, tourism sites or occasionally whole towns or governorates are rendered inaccessible. The Iraqi Museum has a history of temporarily closing during civil unrest because of the ruinous looting that occurred there in 2003 and, for a short period a few years back, Nasseriyah was temporarily inaccessible to non-locals after falling from government control.
By keeping plans flexible, hopefully you should still be able to visit most (if not all) the destinations on your itinerary.
Don’t visit protest areas
Steer well clear of any protest areas. Protests and bouts of civil unrest are not a tourism spectacle and we strongly advise against trying to visit any areas where these have been reported. Poor governance and corruption have left many in this oil-rich country living on the poverty line and these long-standing problems and how Iraqis express their grievances are a local matter. If you want to understand the reasons behind protests, we suggest talking to hotel staff, new Iraqi friends, guides or translators.
Protests also may turn violent suddenly and unexpectedly, either because security forces have been given orders to clear protestors from an area or because protestors themselves have become violent.
Keep up-to-date with the news
If protests become widespread, curfews may occasionally be imposed, so we advise regularly checking local/social media (but not international media, which is often alarmist about Iraq) for updates. We also suggest asking ordinary Iraqis (hotel staff, new friends, guides or translators) for updates and advice about traveling around in-country. In our experience, it is unlikely that protests in Baghdad will affect travel between cities and governorates. Again, Iraqis have mastered the art of keeping normal life going under whatever conditions present themselves.
Should I postpone my trip?
How you proceed, or not, with your planned trip is a matter of personal choice. We travel mostly for work but would not generally deem protests a reason to postpone a trip. From our experience to date, it has usually been possible to achieve most aims regardless of any ongoing civil unrest.
