Iraq political crisis: Shi`ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr urges supporters to end protests; 30 dead in clashes

Baghdad: Iraqi Shi`ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr issued an appeal for peace after clashes between his supporters and security forces left 30 people dead and hundreds injured. Al-Sadr asked his supporters to withdraw entirely from the green zone, the site of the deadly clashes, according to Al Jazeera. As Muqtada al-Sadr on Monday announced that he was quitting politics, thousands of his followers stormed Iraq`s presidential palace and clashed with the security forces following which military reinforcements were sent to the presidential palace. The followers of Al Sadr tore down cement barriers outside the government building in support of the cleric.

An immediate curfew was put in place right after as Palace security was unable to control the mass of demonstrators. Several leaders condemned the clashes in Iraq and expressed concerns over the aggravating situation. Veteran Kurdish politician Masoud Barzani has also called for restraint and urged the parties "not to resort to the language of weapons and violence in resolving conflicts". 

Barzani, the former president of northern Iraq`s semi-autonomous Kurdish region and the head of the governing Kurdistan Democratic Party, also called on all sides to "think about solutions that bring good to the Iraqi people and take into consideration the general interest of the people and the country". 

Al-Sadr's followers leave city's green zone, silence settles in Baghdad 

Silence has settled on the streets of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad after Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on his followers to stop protests and leave the city`s green zone on Tuesday. In the green zone, government facilities and foreign embassies are located. Security forces have now opened all significant bridges across the Tigris river in the Iraqi capital and began removing concrete barriers. 

Al-Sadr`s political opponents from the coordination framework, an Iran-backed alliance of Shiite forces forming the largest bloc in the Iraqi legislature, appealed to their supporters to stop the protests after the cleric`s followers began to withdraw from Baghdad`s green zone.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urges all "relevant actors" to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation and avoid any violence. Turkey has also urged its citizens to avoid travelling to Baghdad and called for "inclusive dialogue" to resolve the ongoing crisis.

Political deadlock persists in Iraq

Earlier in July, numerous Iraqi demonstrators, mostly supporters of Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr stormed the heavily fortified parliament building in Baghdad to protest against the nomination for prime minister by rival Iran-backed parties. The protesters were opposing the candidacy of Mohammed Shia al-Sudani for the post of Prime Minister, as they believe him to be too close to Iran.

Notably, Al-Sadr`s bloc won 73 seats in Iraq`s October 2021 election, making it the largest faction in the 329-seat Parliament, but ever since the vote, talks to form a new government have stalled, and Al-Sadr stepped down from the political process. 

A deadlock persists over the establishment of a new government. In 2016 too Al-Sadr`s supporters stormed the parliament in a similar fashion. They staged a sit-in and issued demands for political reform after then-Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi sought to replace party-affiliated ministers with technocrats in an anti-corruption drive. Mass protests erupted in 2019 amid public anger over corruption and unemployment and this current protest poses a challenge for the oil-rich country. 

Many countries advise their citizens to avoid any travel to Iraq  

It may be noted here that Iranian state television cited unrest in Iraqi cities for the reason for the border closures, urging Iranians to avoid any travel to the neighbouring country. The decision came as millions were preparing to visit Iraq for an annual pilgrimage to Shiite sites. 

Kuwait has also called on its citizens to leave Iraq. The state-run KUNA news agency advised those hoping to travel to Iraq to delay their plans. The tiny Gulf Arab sheikhdom of Kuwait shares a 254-kilometre- (158-mile-) long border with Iraq.

The Netherlands too evacuated its embassy in the Green Zone, Foreign Affairs Minister Wopke Hoekstra tweeted early on Tuesday, adding "There are firefights around the embassy in Baghdad. Our staff are now working at the German embassy elsewhere in the city."

Dubai's long-haul carrier Emirates stopped flights to Baghdad on Tuesday over the ongoing unrest, stating that it was "monitoring the situation closely". 

Bahrain`s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday urged its citizens to immediately leave Iraq or postpone travel to the country amid the political chaos there. The ministry also announced special hotlines for its citizens to contact in case of an emergency, Xinhua news agency reported.

(With ANI/PTI Inputs)