Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi on Saturday called for calm in the southern Dhi Qar province following days of protests that killed five and injured scores.

On Friday, Governor Nazim al-Waili resigned after the demonstrations in the provincial capital Nasiriyah. Abdul Ghani al-Asadi, the head of the National Security Service, was named as a new governor.

In a statement, Al-Kadhimi's media office said the appointment of a new governor, the formation of an advisory council and launching an investigation into the deadly protests “mark a major campaign to rebuild the province”.

The Iraqi premier called for calm in the province “to give a sufficient opportunity to the new administration to carry out its tasks in the service of the city’s people”.