Mosul protesters demand forming sahwa councils, signing SOFA

NINEWA / IraqiNews.com: Hundreds of Arab tribesmen in the districts west and south of Ninewa province on Saturday staged a demonstration in the heart of the city demanding the formation of sahwa (awakening) councils and ratification of the security deal between Iraq and the United States, a tribal chief who took part in the march said. “The demonstrators called on Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to respond to their demand to have sahwa councils in the city like the other provinces, especially that the province’s identity is Arab,” Sheikh Nouri Dahl al-Matyouti told IraqiNews.com. Ninewa “needs sahwa councils to back the national unity government and work together with the army and police in maintaining security in the province,” he said. Matyouti said that the demonstrators are in favor of the security pact and the Iraqi cabinet. Hisham al-Hamadani, the Ninewa Provincial Council chief, told IraqiNews.com if the demonstrators’ demands were in line with the constitution, they should contain them in an official memo, adding areas inside the city “need sahwa councils for protection but areas outside the city have 90% security and would not need such councils”. AmR (P) 1