– I hereby announce my final withdrawal, Shia leader Moqtada al-Sadr wrote on Twitter on Monday morning. He no longer wants to interfere in political matters, he adds. The announcement was quickly met with unrest from Sadr’s supporters, who stormed the government palace in the capital, Baghdad. The palace is located within the well-secured green zone with government buildings. Here is also the office of the prime minister. The demonstrators got into the government palace, and here they bathe in the pool. Photo: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP On Tuesday, the situation in Baghdad is tense after a night of shooting and explosions, according to Al Jazeera. Several grenades are said to have hit the high security zone. The Grand Marji’a, the major Shiite religious leadership, has been called upon to intervene in the conflict. In an attempt to gain control of the situation, the army in Iraq introduced a country-wide curfew. It started at 19:00 local time on Monday, reports the Reuters news agency. On Tuesday, Moqtada al-Sadr made an urgent appeal to the supporters to withdraw. It is not clear who is behind the attack. Supporters of al-Sadr react to smoke outside the government’s headquarters in the capital Baghdad’s Green Zone. Photo: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP Who is Sadr? – Sadr is a religious leader from a prominent Shiite Muslim family of former religious leaders who have had great respect in Iraq, says researcher at the Norwegian Foreign Policy Institute (NUPI) Kjetil Selvik. Sadr has not held any central political positions, but he has a lot of political influence behind the scenes, says Selvik. What Sadr actually says when he withdraws from political affairs is that he wants to cultivate his reputation as a religious leader instead, says Selvik and adds: – Religious leaders tend to be more popular in Iraq. Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr announced today that he is withdrawing from all politics. Here he is holding a speech in Najaf in June 2022. Photo: QASSEM AL-KAABI / AFP Selvik explains that Sadr has a large following who are known to take to the streets. – Much of Sadr’s power has historically been that he has a strong subject to mobilize protest. He now uses it to get what he wants, otherwise there will be chaotic conditions in Iraq, explains Selvik. Ten months without a national assembly Well ten months after the election of a new national assembly in Iraq, the people’s representatives have still not been able to agree on a new government, prime minister or president. The largest bloc in the National Assembly was controlled by Sadr, as he had 73 of the 329 representatives. Together with other parties, he has formed a coalition that has 155 representatives, but it was not enough to form a government. Photo: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP The Sadr coalition is at odds with the other side of Shiite politics in Iraq, the so-called Coordination framework. They have 130 representatives in the National Assembly and also lack the necessary majority. Demand new elections After a long period of political crisis in the country, Sadr decided in June to withdraw himself and all group members from the national assembly. When the Coordination Framework tried to form a government, Sadr’s supporters stormed the National Assembly. Several hundred supporters have since occupied the space outside the National Assembly. Supporters of Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr protest inside the so-called Green Zone in Baghdad. Photo: THAIER AL-SUDANI / Reuters Earlier this month, Sadr called for “a democratic, revolutionary and peaceful process”, the dissolution of the national assembly and new elections. He also emphasized that the train had left for a negotiated solution. Iraq’s acting Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi and President Barham Saleh nevertheless refuse to give up hope of a negotiated solution and have advocated “national dialogue”.
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At least 30 killed when protesters storm the government palace in Baghdad – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
