This investigation follows Khalid bin Al Walid Omar, a 24-year-old activist who has taken on one of Iraq's most powerful and dangerous adversaries: the oil industry. We accompany him as he organises protests, campaigns on social media and travels from Qayyarah to Baghdad and the far south of the country in search of allies and answers.
The project examines how Iraq's decision to open its oil sector to private companies in 2009 dramatically accelerated extraction — and the damage that comes with it. European giants like Total and Shell were among the beneficiaries, while local communities were left to breathe the consequences. The gases flared during oil production are suspected of causing cancer and pulmonary fibrosis among residents.
But Khalid's fight runs up against more than just corporate power. Iraq's oil industry operates in close alignment with the country's powerful militias, which have deep stakes in keeping the sector free from scrutiny. When Khalid receives threats, there is little doubt about where they are coming from. In Iraq, activists are kidnapped and tortured, and those who challenge the wrong interests rarely do so without consequence. Beyond the physical danger, he must also contend with the indifference of his neighbours and the corruption that runs through the country's institutions — all the way to the ministries that are supposed to protect the environment he is trying to save.
