Baghdad has been crippled by the mass mobilization of followers of the cleric Al Sadr, who broke into the Green Zone and clashed with security forces, injuring at least 60
The crisis in Iraq has intensified this Saturday. Thousands of supporters of the country’s strongman Muqtada al Sadr have stormed parliament in Baghdad for the second time in a week in incidents that left at least 60 injured in clashes with police. Protesters protested in the city’s security zone against the candidacy for prime minister of the religious leader’s main opponent, Mohamed Shia al-Sudani, a pro-Iranian Shia politician. At that point, a mob once again took over the Legislative Building, located in the Green Zone itself and housing the government headquarters and most of the embassies.
“The protesters have passed through the concrete frontline barriers that Iraqi security forces have placed on the Al Jumhuriya Bridge in an attempt to reach the Green Zone,” the Shafaq agency said, triggering the agents’ intervention. Police have deployed tear gas and hurled water jets at the protesters, which has not prevented thousands of them from entering parliament, where they have begun an indefinite sit-in. Other groups have moved to the headquarters of the Supreme Court and the Judicial Council, raising fears of an increase in clashes. The two buildings are protected by police and military.
The Ministry of Health has reported on the deployment of health personnel in hospitals and ambulances to help the injured. Virtually all main streets and bridges in Baghdad have been blocked and life in the city has come to a standstill. The shops have closed their doors and countless neighbors have taken refuge in their homes as a crowd of the pastor’s followers march through the city center. Many of them have gathered in Tahir Square, where slogans have been heard against the pro-Iranian Coordination Framework coalition. The protesters have directed their criticism at this coalition’s candidate, Al Sudani, Iranian influence in Iraq’s politics and corruption.
The escalation of tensions worries the executive, whose acting Prime Minister, Mustafá al Kazemi, has asked the crowds to protest peacefully and has asked security forces to protect official headquarters and embassies in the Green Zone. For its part, the movement led by Al Sadr has blamed the tension on the rival bloc, which it accuses of corruption and “stole money from Iraq.”
Although the sadrists won last October’s elections, the obstacles subsequently put in place by the coordination framework for the negotiations prevented the formation of a stable government, leading to the 73 deputies of the group led by the cleric June withdrew from parliament. The Iraqi political system includes Sunnis, Shias and Kurds, but the ability to share power has been diluted by corruption and the self-interest of each faction. The country held its first democratic elections in 2005 after the US invasion two years earlier that ended Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Despite his withdrawal, Al Sadr has continued to call on his believers for public mobilizations, denouncing corrupt political practices and demanding the resumption of negotiations to form the government. The most massive took place in the middle of this month of July, when it gathered hundreds of thousands of followers. In Saturday’s protest, the government ordered the deployment of special police units not only in the capital but also in other cities, fearing the disaffection marches will spread across the country. Mustafa al Kazemi has warned that the officers have been trained to “take all legal steps in maintaining order”.
Civil society organizations are deeply concerned about the possibility of a violent drift in political confrontation. The population is fed up with the increasing instability and the long-term vacuum when making major decisions. The coronavirus epidemic has collapsed the health system and forced thousands of businesses to close in the past two years. Unemployment is on the rise, students are protesting the lack of scholarships and the state’s indebtedness makes it impossible to pay social salaries and pensions. All this has resulted in poverty rising from 20% in 2018 to 30% last year. The frustration is also growing politically. Iraqis complain about the interventionism of the United States and Iran in local politics and, as if that were not enough, the government’s deadlock has prevented Iraq from taking advantage of the rise in oil prices caused by the Russo-Ukrainian war, despite that it is the second largest crude oil producer in the world.
Source: La Verdad
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