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Today, Monday, the Iraqi authorities announced the imposition of a comprehensive curfew in all of Iraq, following the Iraqi Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, announced his final retirement from politics, following nearly a year of political stalemate that left the country without a new government.
This comes following Iraqi officials announced that dozens of al-Sadr’s supporters stormed on Monday the Republican Palace, a building inside the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad.
Officials said angry protesters “entered the Republican Palace” shortly following al-Sadr announced his retirement from political life, with thousands more of al-Sadr’s supporters heading towards the Green Zone, an AFP journalist reported.
The Joint Iraqi Forces Command said in a statement, according to the Iraqi News Agency, that it “announces a comprehensive curfew in all governorates of Iraq.”
She added that the curfew will start “from seven in the evening, Monday, until further notice.”
The Joint Operations Command also called on the demonstrators to withdraw immediately from inside the Green Zone.
A statement of the joint operations, according to the Iraqi News Agency, said: “The security forces call on the demonstrators to immediately withdraw from inside the Green Zone,” stressing that they “committed the highest levels of self-restraint and fraternal interaction to prevent collision or Iraqi bloodshed.”
Subsequently, Iraqi medical sources said that at least 8 people were killed and more than 80 others were injured in clashes in the Green Zone.
And security forces – who imposed a curfew earlier on Monday in Baghdad – fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse the protesters.
There were reports of unrest in other parts of Iraq.
The Iraqi Council of Ministers announced the suspension of its sessions until further notice.
Prayers for calm and restraint
photo released, Archyde.com
Clashes between Sadr’s supporters and opponents in the Green Zone
The Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, called on everyone to exercise restraint, calling on the demonstrators to immediately withdraw from the Green Zone and abide by the instructions of the security forces responsible for protecting official institutions and the lives of citizens, following he held an emergency meeting of the security leaders at the headquarters of the joint operations, to discuss developments in recent events and the entry of demonstrators to Government institutions.
Al-Kadhimi said in a statement, according to the Iraqi News Agency: “Bypassing the demonstrators on state institutions is a condemned act and outside the legal contexts,” calling on Al-Sadr to help in calling on the demonstrators to withdraw from government institutions.
photo released, EPA
The Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, called on everyone to exercise restraint, calling on the demonstrators to withdraw immediately from the Green Zone
The Iraqi President, Barham Salih, also stressed that the developments of events require the national forces to rise above the differences, adding that the difficult circumstance that Iraq is going through “requires everyone to commit to calm, restraint, prevent escalation, and ensure that the situation does not slip into unknown and dangerous mazes in which everyone will lose.” “.
Salih said, according to the Iraqi News Agency: “Peaceful demonstration and expression of opinion is a constitutionally guaranteed right, while adhering to the laws and maintaining public security, but disrupting state institutions is a dangerous matter that puts the country and citizens’ interests in grave danger.”
The United Nations Mission in Iraq, “UNAMI”, called on all demonstrators to “leave the Baghdad International Zone, evacuate all government buildings and allow the government to continue its responsibilities in managing the state.”
She urged everyone to “be at peace, cooperate with the security forces, and refrain from actions that may lead to an unstoppable chain of events,” adding that “Iraqis cannot be held hostage to an unpredictable and unsustainable situation,” noting that “the survival of the state It is at stake, according to the Iraqi News Agency.
Retire from political life
Muqtada al-Sadr
Al-Sadr had announced in a statement published on Twitter on Monday, “Not to interfere in political affairs, I now announce my final retirement and the closure of all institutions” associated with it.
He did not give details of the closure of his offices, but said that some of his cultural and religious institutions will remain open.
Al-Sadr’s political alliance won the largest number of seats in last year’s elections, but there has been no consensus among Iraqi political factions on any government since that time.
All Sadr’s deputies resigned in June at his request, following which his supporters stormed the parliament building and continued their sit-in inside the Green Zone in Baghdad.
Al-Sadr had criticized Shiite politicians for their failure to respond to his calls for reform.
His deputies withdrew from parliament in June following he failed to form a government of his choosing, and the political deadlock between him and his Shiite rivals close to Iran led to Iraq’s longest period without a government.
Al-Sadr’s announcement on Monday raised fears that his supporters may escalate their protests, fueling a new phase of instability in Iraq.
The tension dates back to October, when al-Sadr’s bloc won 73 seats in the elections, making it the largest faction in the 329-seat parliament.
But talks to form a new government have stalled for months. A large number of al-Sadr’s supporters stormed the parliament building in the context of protests once morest the nomination of politician Muhammad Shia al-Sudani for the position of prime minister by the coalition of Shiite forces known as the Coordination Framework.
photo released, Archyde.com
Opponents of Muqtada al-Sadr on the border of the Green Zone
Sadr’s supporters have occupied parliament since the end of July, staging protests near government buildings.
The United Nations mission in Iraq stressed that peaceful demonstrations are “essential to democracy,” but noted that they must “respect state institutions.”
The political blockage in the country has disrupted many of the measures that Iraq needs.
The paralysis left the country without a budget for 2022, which led to the suspension of spending on much-needed infrastructure projects and the implementation of economic reforms.
Iraqis say the situation is exacerbating the lack of services and jobs even as the oil-rich country gets record oil income due to high crude prices.
Mustafa Al-Kazemi’s government is running the country’s affairs until a new government is formed.
Al-Kazemi took office in 2019, in the wake of mass demonstrations protesting the difficult conditions and corruption, and led to the resignation of his predecessor, Adel Abdul-Mahdi.