BASRA, Iraq - Dozens of residents gathered Sunday morning outside the Basra Provincial Council building to protest a recent government decision that affects people living in informal housing.

The protest was against Parliament Decision No. 20, which deals with regulating and addressing informal housing and land encroachments. Demonstrators said the decision was unfair and ignored the difficult conditions that forced many families to live on unregistered land.

“This decision is harsh and does not consider the reality we live in,” said one protester. “We built our homes because there were no government housing projects for us.”

Residents called on the government to treat Basra the same as other provinces, where similar housing issues were handled more flexibly.

Sheikh Ahmed Ziyara, a community leader in Basra, told The New Region that the decision was “unjust” and lacked social and humanitarian understanding.

“These lands, called ‘encroachments,’ are not stolen from the state,” he said. “They are the result of government failure to provide housing. We demand the local government stop this decision and ask Baghdad to review it.”

Saif Alwan, who lives in one of the affected neighborhoods, said he has nowhere else to go.

“We built our homes with our own hands,” he told The New Region. “What they call an encroachment is our only shelter and our dignity.”

Another resident, Bidaya Ali, a widow who has lived in an informal neighborhood for 12 years, said the government never helped her.

“I built this home to protect my children,” she said. “Now they say I’m breaking the law? We’re not lawbreakers, we’re just poor.”

The parliament's decision comes as frustration grows in Basra due to a lack of housing and public services. Many families have turned to informal housing as their only option.

Observers warn that enforcing the decision without offering alternatives could cause more poverty and social unrest in the region.

Protesters urged local leaders and parliament representatives to take action and push for a review of the decision. They also called for a public discussion to find fair solutions for families most affected by the housing crisis.