Populist leader Muqtada al-Sadr has called on his supporters to fully withdraw from Baghdad’s Green Zone.
Sadr supporters fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns at the Green Zone, as security forces returned fire.Al-Sadr speech ‘laughable’: analyst
Ruba Ali al-Hassani, a post-doctoral research assistant at Lancaster University, said she was not surprised to hear Muqtada al-Sadr ordering his supporters to withdraw from the Green Zone.
“The speech was to an extent laughable because he keeps on denying his responsibility in everything that has transpired over the last 24 hours,” al-Hassani told Al Jazeera, speaking from Manchester.
“We all know that he is at the heart of the matter. His resignation triggered the developments of took the past 24 hours and his supporters blindly follow him.”
What al-Sadr managed to demonstrate again and again is what al-Hassani called the “psychological tool” of his leverage over his peers.Iraq PM, UN welcome Muqtada al-Sadr’s call to end protests
Iraq’s caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi has hailed Muqtada al-Sadr as a patriot for calling on his supporters to end their protest and refrain from violence that has shaken the capital Baghdad.
Sadr’s call to end the bloodshed placed a “moral duty” on all Iraqis to engage in dialogue, the prime minister said on Twitter.
“His Eminence Muqtada Al-Sadr’s call to stop violence is the epitome of patriotism and respect to the sanctity of Iraqi blood,” Kadhimi wrote.
“His speech emplaces national and moral duty upon all to protect Iraq and stop political escalation and violence and, to immediately engage in dialogue.”
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) also welcomed Sadr’s call for protesters to leave the Green Zone.
“UNAMI welcomes the most recent moderate declaration by Sayed Muqtada al-Sadr. As stated yesterday: restraint and calm are necessary for reason to prevail,” the UN mission tweeted.Crisis is not fully over, says Al Jazeera’s bureau chief
Walid Ibrahim, the head of Al Jazeera’s bureau in Baghdad, said it is premature to say that Iraq’s political impasse is now over.
“We cannot say that the crisis is fully ended,” he said. “We will wait for the next steps of the other political parties, especially those that belong to the Coordination Framework and who were involved in unprecedented violence with al-Sadr supporters.”
Nothing will change without political solutions, he added.
TV correspondent Mahmoud Abdelwahed said that despite the very rapid change on the ground in the aftermath of Muqtada al-Sadr’s speech, it remains to be seen whether that will translate to the political arena.
“We know that the political rivalries continue. There are no signs of efforts or mediation between the rival factions to bridge the political gap between them,” he said.Could Iraq slide into civil war?
Mired in political deadlock, Iraq is now embroiled in a power struggle. And in the interim: leaks, protests, and sit-ins at parliament. A crisis is brewing in the country with fears it could lead to serious bloodshed.French gov’t ‘gravely concerned’ by clashes in Baghdad and several provinces
France has expressed grave concern over fighting in the Iraqi capital Baghdad and several provinces across the country.
In a statement, the French foreign ministry called on all parties involved “to show the utmost restraint”, and to “act responsibly and immediately” stop the deadly fighting that has “already resulted in many casualties”.
At least 30 people have been killed so far and hundreds wounded in the clashes.
“It is necessary for all Iraq’s political players to commit to a genuine, constructive national dialogue which is in the interests of Iraqi people, so that their aspirations to peace, stability and security are listened to,” the ministry said in a statement.
“France asks all Iraqi political leaders to reaffirm their commitment to Iraq’s constitutional framework and respect the integrity of Iraqi institutions, which must operate without hindrance.”Al-Sadr’s political resignation not permanent: analyst
Zeidon Alkinani, a non-resident fellow at the Arab Centre Washington, DC, said that Muqtada al-Sadr’s decision to withdraw from politics is “not necessarily a permanent decision”.
“It is not the first time that al-Sadr claims he will make sure to freeze operations of any association that is affiliated with his movement,” Alkinani told Al Jazeera.
“There might be a speculation that is spreading, that his attempt to announce that he is political resigning is an indirect attempt to escape accountability from whatever Saraya Salam has done and will continue to do.”
Saraya Salam, or the Peace Brigades, is the armed wing of the Sadrist movement, and has been involved directly in clashes with other armed wings affiliated with political parties within the rival pro-Iran coup the Coordination Framework.Protesters begin to withdraw from Green Zone
Supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr have started to leave the Green Zone area after their leader told them to end the protests.
The military also announced that a nationwide curfew, which went into effect on Monday at 7pm local time (20:00 GMT), has been lifted, further raising hopes that there might be an end to the street violencel-Sadr thanks security forces for their ‘neutral stance’
Muqtada al-Sadr, who announced his resignation from politics on Monday, directed some strong words to his powerful base of supporters, criticising their actions.
Al-Sadr’s exit from politics prompted his supporters to storm the government palace in Baghdad’s Green Zone on Monday, where clashes with rival pro-Iran Shia groups killed at least 30 people.
“I thank the security forces that took a neutral stance with all parties,” he said, adding that the pro-Iran Popular Mobilisation Unit (PMF) that have integrated with the Iraqi security forces have nothing to do with what is happening
“Now I criticise the revolution of the Sadrist movement as I criticised the October revolution,” he said, referring to the anti-government protests of 2019Muqtada al-Sadr tells followers to end protests
Influential Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr told his supporters to leave the capital’s Green Zone after violence rocked Baghdad for two days.
“The party is disciplined and obedient, and I was my hands of those who do not withdraw from parliament building within an hour,” he said in a televised speech.
Al-Sadr also apologised to the Iraqi people for the violence, which killed 30 people and wounded hundreds more.