Anti-government demonstrations have resumed in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and several other cities throughout the country after a three-week hiatus.

Iraqi police on Friday fired live ammunition and volleys of tear gas canisters to disperse thousands of protesters that had gathered in Baghdad, where at least two people were killed and more than 200 others were wounded.

Security forces were deployed on the streets of the capital on Thursday night in anticipation of the rallies, which are a continuation of the economically driven demonstrations that began in early October and turned deadly as security forces cracked down, even firing live rounds into crowds.