Dhi Qar governorate borders Wassit to the North, Missan to the East, Basrah to the east and south, and Muthanna, Samawah and Qadissiya to the west. The governorate is divided into the following districts: Chibayish, Nasiriyah, Shatra, Suq al-Shoyukh, and Rifai. The capital is Nasiriyah. The governorate has an estimated population of 2 150 338 with the majority being Shia Arabs.
Dhi Qar is under the control of ISF, however, one source indicated that all eight southern governorates should be considered areas of shared control between the Iraqi army or police, and the PMU. The security void that opened in the southern governorates when the security forces were redeployed in 2014 to fight ISIL insurgency in central and northern Iraq, left the southern region open to tribal clashes, criminal activity and political violence. In 2019 and 2020, mass protests erupted and the use of live ammunition against demonstrators was reported. Protesters setting buildings on fire and causing deaths was also reported in Muthanna, Dhi Qar and Qadissiya governorates.
ACLED reported a total of 209 security incidents (average of 2.5 security incidents per week) in Dhi Qar governorate in the reference period, the majority of which coded as riots. Battles, explosions/remote violence and violence against civilians were also reported in this period. Security incidents occurred in all districts of the governorate, with the largest overall number being recorded in the district of Nasiriyah. UNAMI recorded 6 armed conflict related incidents, 3 taking place in 2019 and 3 from 1st January until 31st July 2020 (average of 0.1 security incidents per week for the full reference period).
UNAMI recorded no civilian casualties in 2019. From 1st January until 31st July 2020, a total of 3 civilian casualties (1 death and 2 injured) were recorded in the aforementioned armed conflict related incidents. Compared to the official figures for the population in the governorate, this represents less than 1 civilian casualty per 100 000 inhabitants for the full reference period.
As of 16 July 2020, Dhi Qar hosted a total number of 3 396 IDPs, mainly originating from Ninewa. No returns were recorded in the governorate.
The presence of explosive remnants of war was reported in the governorate of Dhi Qar.
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Looking at the indicators, it can be concluded that indiscriminate violence is taking place in the governorate of Dhi Qar at such a low level that in general there is no real risk for a civilian to be personally affected by reason of indiscriminate violence within the meaning of Article 15(c) QD. However, individual elements always need to be taken into account as they could put the applicant in risk-enhancing situations.
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Main COI reference: Security situation 2020, 4.7