Video of Iraqi man eating from rubbish container sparks outcry

Footage of an Iraqi man looking for food in a rubbish pile has sparked anger on social media.

The unnamed man was filmed by Iraqi journalist Mustafa Al-Qattan picking out leftovers to eat from a rubbish pile in Baghdad’s Al-Adhamiya district.The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated Iraq’s deteriorating economy amid plunging oil prices and rampant corruption.

Iraq’s Finance Minister Ali Allawi last week warned of “severe security consequences” if its economy is not “restructured radically”. According to the Financial Times, the country’s poverty rate is set to rise to 31.7 per cent this year from 20 per cent in 2018.

In October 2019, Iraqis took to the streets in mass anti-government protests against corruption, poor state services, and high unemployment rates.

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