BAGHDAD – Muqtada al-Sadr, the influential Iraqi cleric, has unleashed a turmoil in Iraq that Western reports and local figures have long warned of, putting the country by his decision to retire on the brink of an armed clash, even though he repeatedly withdrew in previous political maneuvers from the scene as tactics to stay in the spotlight and succeeded by Recourse to the street in managing a battle of arms with his opponents from the coordination framework, the forces loyal to their armed wings to Iran, then he later announced a hunger strike “until the violence and the use of weapons stop” against the backdrop of a political crisis that has been going on for more than 10 months.
Hassan al-Adari, head of the resigned Sadrist movement’s parliamentary bloc, said in a tweet, “The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, announced a hunger strike until violence and the use of weapons stop,” adding, “Removing the corrupt does not give anyone, no matter what a justification for the use of violence from all sides.”
Al-Adari’s tweet came after confrontations between Sadr’s supporters and groups loyal to the coordination framework, which resulted in 12 deaths and dozens of injuries.
Al-Sadr could have spared Iraq any clash and chaos if he had called on his supporters to withdraw from the Green Zone and government buildings. He tested this repeatedly, but he remained silent after his decision to retire from politics and unleashed his supporters.
Al-Sadr’s announcement of the final withdrawal from political life was characterized by some ambiguity, and he may retract his decision, as he is the one who masters the game of tug of war and stirs the threads of the political game in Iraq, and may try, through his decision, to show his strength in front of his opponents after the threat of the popular crowd, which includes armed Shiite militias, his readiness for confrontation.
It is also possible that al-Sadr’s decision, which raises concern, is that his withdrawal gives the impression that he no longer bears responsibility for the actions of his followers, which means that he unleashed chaos and no one predicts when he will intervene to restrain his supporters.
In an unannounced decision, the so-called “minister of the leader,” Muhammad Salih al-Iraqi, closed all his accounts on social media, which are the platforms he used to convey al-Sadr’s messages to his followers by escalation or calm, which raises questions about the sudden severance of communication with them.
He also used these platforms to send messages to the opponents of the Sadrist movement, from the forces and leaders of the coordination framework.
In a high toll, 12 Iraqis were killed so far and 270 others were wounded in the Green Zone in clashes and clashes between supporters of al-Sadr and supporters of other Shiite groups, in a scene that warns of a dangerous escalation after the Sadrists occupied sovereign government buildings and headquarters in a move that some describe as a “coup.” According to medical and security sources, the dead were supporters of the Sadrist movement.
In the midst of this chaos, which is likely to turn into an armed clash in light of the political bickering and escalation between the two sides of the crisis, the religious authority in Najaf has remained silent. Sources said that the office of Supreme Leader Ali al-Sistani refused to respond to phone calls from leaders of political forces, indicating his commitment not to interfere in politics, while the situation was on the verge of an explosion and required him to call on all parties to calm down and withdraw from the Green Zone.
Al-Sadr, who enjoys great influence and at the same time is difficult to predict what he can do, has not stopped escalating in recent weeks
The Marja’iya has a strong influence on the leaders of the conflicting Shiite forces, including Al-Sadr, and on their supporters.
The crisis in Iraq, which has been in a political impasse since the October 2021 legislative elections, has deepened with the deterioration of the situation in the center of the Iraqi capital, after hundreds of Sadrist supporters stormed the prime minister’s headquarters after Muqtada al-Sadr, one of the most important actors in Iraqi politics, suddenly announced his retirement from work. permanently political.
A security source said that the security forces intervened and fired tear gas canisters to disperse the demonstrators at the entrances to the Green Zone, while al-Sadr’s supporters swept into office rooms and sat on sofas, jumped in the pool or took selfies.
Nothing changed the situation, the army imposed a curfew in Baghdad from 3:30 in the afternoon, and then throughout Iraq at 7 pm, and police patrols in the capital, chaos engulfed the fortified Green Zone.
International and local media sources reported shooting with live ammunition at the entrances to the heavily guarded area.
Witnesses spoke of an exchange of fire between supporters of the Sadrist movement and their opponents in the “coordinating framework”, which is considered pro-Iran. Medical sources said that two supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr were killed and 22 others were wounded.
The United Nations mission in Iraq, based inside the Green Zone, called on the demonstrators to leave the area and urged all parties to exercise “the utmost restraint.”
The White House said today, Monday, that the turmoil in Iraq after the withdrawal of the powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr from political life “reasons for concern”, and called for dialogue to alleviate the political crisis afflicting the country.
White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Washington does not see a need to evacuate its embassy staff in Iraq at this time.
The unrest spread to other areas. In Dhi Qar province in southern Iraq, al-Sadr’s supporters took control of the entire provincial office building located in the city of Nasiriyah.
Sadr’s supporters raised a large banner at the main gate of the building that read “Closed by the Ashura revolutionaries.” Others also stormed government offices.
Thaer Al-Ismaili, a member of the Dhi Qar Oil Company’s board, said that the Sadrist demonstrators “closed oil facilities in the province and put banners on the gates saying: Closed by order of the Ashura revolutionaries.”
In Babil Province, south of Baghdad, witnesses confirmed that demonstrators from the Sadrist movement took control of the governorate building in the city of Hilla. Others cut off the main roads linking the city of Hilla, the provincial center, with the capital Baghdad and the rest of the southern provinces.
We can expect him to back down, but that’s what’s most frightening, this may lead to believe that he is giving his followers the green light to do as they please, by saying that he is no longer responsible for their actions
For nearly a year, the Iraqi political poles were unable to agree on the name of the new prime minister, and therefore Iraq, one of the largest oil producers in the world, is still without a new government or a new president since the legislative elections.
The need for early elections
To get out of the crisis, Muqtada al-Sadr and the coordinating framework agree on one point, which is the need for new early elections, but while Muqtada al-Sadr insists on dissolving parliament first, his opponents want to form a government first.
After the invasion of the government palace, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi suspended cabinet meetings “until further notice”, and called for an emergency security meeting at the military headquarters, after Muqtada al-Sadr called for “intervention by directing the demonstrators to withdraw from government institutions.”
Al-Sadr, who enjoys great influence and at the same time is difficult to predict what he might do, has not stopped escalating in recent weeks. For a month now, his supporters have camped outside Parliament, and they were even briefly denied entry to the Supreme Judicial Council.
Surprisingly, Al-Sadr said in a brief statement on Monday, “I now announce my final retirement.” He also announced the closure of all institutions associated with the Sadrist movement, “with the exception of the Holy Shrine (of his father, Muhammad al-Sadr, who died in 1999), the Sharif Museum and the Al-Sadr Heritage Authority.”
The Shiite leader, known for his black turban and nickname “Al-Sayyid” because of his belonging to the Prophet Muhammad’s dynasty, is one of the most prominent and influential political clerics. He is also among the most prominent political leaders who are able to aggravate the crisis or resolve it, thanks to his ability to mobilize a large part of the Shiite community, which constitutes the main component of the people of Iraq.
The Sadrist movement topped the results of the recent elections to occupy 73 seats (out of the 329 total seats in parliament), but when al-Sadr was unable to achieve a majority that would enable him to form a government, he announced in June the resignation of his deputies in parliament.
At the direction of al-Sadr, his supporters protesting in front of Parliament about a month ago demanded the dissolution of the House of Representatives and the holding of early legislative elections in order to move the country on the path of reforms.
Al-Sadr calls for the “reform” of the situation in Iraq from the top of the pyramid of power to the bottom and to end the “corruption” that the country’s institutions suffer from, but his opponents also accuse his current of corruption.
Hamza Haddad, a guest researcher at the European Council on International Relations, says his announcement is “not entirely clear”, adding, “Based on his previous positions, we can expect him to back down, but this is what is most frightening. He said he was no longer responsible for their actions.
For his part, security and strategic expert Fadel Abourjiev, in response to a question about the goal of the Sadrist movement, said that “the goal is to force the political leaders who hold the authority of Parliament and the government to dissolve parliament and hold early elections.”
And he believed that “Iraq is going to more blockage and congestion.” However, the expert ruled out an armed conflict, saying, “I don’t think things amount to fighting and bloodshed” between the Shiite parties.
On Saturday, Muqtada al-Sadr gave all parties in the political arena since the fall of Saddam Hussein, including his “72 Hours” party, to relinquish government positions they hold and make room for reforms.
So far, the dispute between the Sadrist movement and the coordination framework has not developed into armed confrontations, but the popular crowd represented within the coordination framework announced the readiness of its factions to “defend state institutions.”
Muqtada al-Sadr, born in 1974, has never ruled, but his influence is strong after the invasion of Iraq by an international coalition led by the United States in March 2003, particularly through the formation of the Mahdi Army to fight against the occupiers.
In his statement Monday, al-Sadr did not mention the Mahdi Army or the Peace Brigades, another armed force that was formed in 2014 after the Islamic State group seized control of the city of Mosul.
The coordination framework calls on the Sadrists to dialogue
This evening, Monday, the Coordinating Framework Forces called on the Sadrist movement, leaders and masses, to return to the dialogue table and work to reach common understandings that lay down a clear road map that adopts the law and the constitution to achieve the interests of the people.
A statement by the Coordinating Framework Forces stated that the Iraqis are following “with great concern the developments of the events related to the Sadrist movement’s demonstrations and their sit-ins in Parliament and a number of government departments, which amounted to attacking the various addresses of the state, including the Judicial Council, the government palace, the headquarters of the Council of Ministers and others, and disrupting and attacking state institutions, the latest of which was what happened.” Today (Monday) is a day of unfortunate developments, including attacks on a number of state institutions in the central and southern governorates.”
He added, “We reaffirm our stand with the state and its institutions, as it is not possible in any way to stand neutral when state institutions are attacked and collapsed. The government and security institutions must do what is dictated by their national duty to protect state institutions and public and private interests.”
A number of Baghdad streets are witnessing a large deployment of the Peace Brigades forces affiliated with Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr to secure protection for the Sadrist movement’s demonstrators who are currently stationed in the Iraqi parliament’s headquarters and its external surroundings and in Tahrir Square.
The head of the caretaker government, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, called on Monday evening to open an urgent investigation into the events in the Green Zone, the sources of the shooting, and to identify the negligent people and hold them accountable according to the law, stressing “to prevent the use of bullets and shooting at demonstrators from any security or military party, or The armed forces are strictly prohibited, and the ministries, agencies, and security and military agencies are obligated to work in accordance with the contexts, powers and controls granted to them.”
“Our security forces are responsible for protecting the demonstrators, and any violation of the security instructions in this regard will be before legal accountability, and citizens must abide by the security instructions and the curfew decision,” he said.
In turn, Iraqi Parliament Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi called on all parties in Iraq to extinguish the fire of sedition and reach understandings to preserve and preserve the nation’s sovereignty and stability and protect it from slipping into a collision in which everyone loses.
He said in a press statement, “What the situation has become today portends great danger, and it is something that cannot be tolerated or allowed to escalate without the intervention of wise and influential people from religious, political, clan and social leaders, pushing for calm and restraint, and warning against chaos and spilling the blood of innocent Iraqis through The use of weapons by any party.
In view of this situation, the Kuwaiti Embassy in Baghdad urged Kuwaiti citizens to leave Iraq.
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