Thousands of Iraqis protest against the government

Protesters against Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Sunni-majority cities on December 26 blocked the main road leading to Syria and Jordan, while a representative called for taking up arms against the government.

Thousands of people have joined protests in Ramadi and Samarra - the capitals of two predominantly Sunni provinces in central and western Iraq - to protest what they say are targeting of their communities by Shiite-led government officials and security forces.

(Source: Reuters)

Speaking at a rally in Ramadi, one protester said: "We will not negotiate, we will not leave. If our demands are not met, there is no other choice but to take up arms against the government."

One of the demands involved a federal anti-terrorism law, which the speaker said was aimed at Sunnis, that must be repealed.

Iraqi Finance Minister Rafa al-Essawi also attended the protest in Ramadi and pledged to represent the protesters in "negotiations with the Baghdad government."

Previously, on December 20, Mr. al-Essawi also asked Prime Minister Maliki to resign, accusing a unit of security forces of attacking the Ministry of Finance and arresting security guards at the ministry on the same day.

Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters also gathered in the capital of Salaheddin province, Samarra, north of Baghdad, chanting slogans calling Mr Maliki a "coward" and "Iran's lackey."

The Iraqi Bloc and some members of Iraq's Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish power-sharing government have accused Prime Minister Maliki of monopolizing power over the past year and have repeatedly called for his resignation.

Earlier this year, opponents of Prime Minister Maliki attempted to launch a no-confidence vote against him, but it failed because President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, did not support the vote and Maliki's opponents did not have a consensus.

Sectarian tensions still persist in Iraq, causing the country to be engulfed in bloody violence for many years, taking the lives of tens of thousands of people and forcing many to flee their homes./.

According to (TTXVN) - DT