Iraq declared a nationwide curfew on Monday as gunshots rang out and chaos reigned in Baghdad's Green Zone after Shi'ite leader Moqtada al-Sadr announced his "final withdrawal" from politics.
Iraq, in a political deadlock since legislative elections in October 2021, remains mired in crisis. This Monday, the situation brutally degenerated in the capital: after the surprising announcement of its leader, one of the most important actors in Iraqi politics, hundreds of supporters invaded the Palace of the Republic, where the Council of Ministers is located.
As they took over the offices, settled into armchairs, jumped into the pool or took selfies, the security forces intervened by firing tear gas canisters to disperse the protesters at the entrances to the Green Zone, but chaos took over the safest area of the Iraqi capital, leaving at least five dead, according to AP.
Several witnesses told AFP they witnessed exchanges of fire between Sadrists and supporters of the Coordination Framework, the party of former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a pro-Iranian rival in the Shiite camp.
Protests also erupted in the Shiite-majority southern provinces, where Sadr supporters burned tires and blocked roads in Basra province and hundreds of people demonstrated outside the governorate building in Missan.
Iran views disharmony among Iraqi Shias as a threat to its influence in the country and has repeatedly tried to broker dialogue with Al Sadr.
For nearly a year, the political barons have been unable to agree on a new prime minister. Iraq, one of the world's largest oil producers, therefore has neither a new government nor a new president since the legislative elections.
To get out of the crisis, Moqtada al Sadr and the Coordination Framework agree on one point: new early elections are needed. But while Moqtada al-Sadr insists on dissolving parliament first, his rivals want to appoint a government first.
After the Palace of the Republic was invaded, Prime Minister Moustafa al-Kazimi suspended the Council of Ministers "until further notice," calling on Moqtada al-Sadr to "urge the protesters to withdraw from government institutions."
Moqtada al Sadr, as influential as he is unpredictable, has not stopped upping the ante in recent weeks: for a month, his supporters have camped out in front of Parliament and even briefly blocked access to the country's highest judicial body.
The Shiite leader's list was the most voted in the 2021 elections, with 73 seats (out of 329) but, unable to form a majority, he made his deputies resign in June, claiming to want to "reform" the system from top to bottom and end "corruption". On Saturday, Al Sadr gave "72 hours" to "all parties" since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 - including his own - to resign from the government positions they hold and leave "room for reforms".
This is not the first time that Al Sadr has announced his withdrawal from politics, and many see this move as an attempt to gain greater influence in the negotiation process. The cleric has used the tactic on previous occasions when political events did not go his way.
