Protesters Storm Iraqi Green Zone Again

Daniel Brennan May 20, 2016
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Thousands of protesters, many followers of powerful Shia cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, stormed the restricted Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq, and may have managed to breach the Parliament building today.

The protesters were backing Sadr’s calls for replacing the Iraqi government with a new “technocratic” government and attempting to convince Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi of the desperate need of reform.

This is the second Green Zone protest in the last month in which followers of Moqtada al-Sadr have advocated for a change in Iraqi government. Sadr, a Shia cleric, is most notorious for fighting U.S. forces beginning in 2004, and lasting until 2008. Proceeding a cease-fire between his forces and the Iraqi government, Sadr left for Iran to study Shia jurisprudence.

Upon his return to Iraq in 2011, Sadr started to reshape his image as a politician. His efforts to organize mass protests against corruption and call for government reform allowed him to rise in popularity. In April, Sadr’s influence allowed himself and his followers to breach the heavily guarded concrete walls of the Green Zone during a protest, until Iraqi forces finally pushed them back with tear gas.

Following the demonstration, Sadr made a surprise visit to Iran. Sadr’s aides gave no indication on his reason for travel, but Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Jaberi Ansari, gave a statement around the time of Sadr’s travel, which expressed readiness of an open dialogue with Iraq.

Today, Iraqi security took a similar security response  intended to push back the crowd as they had in April. However, at today’s protest, security forces escalated riot control methods by firing live ammunition at protesters. After forces managed to clear the Green Zone, the Iraqi government instated a curfew.

Al Jazeera reported 13 injuries during the protest, while other news agencies list dozens, and Russia Today even claimed that three people had died

Iraqi’s political climate is becoming more and more unstable since the outset of 2016. Claims of government corruption, dropping oil-prices, and threats from Islamic State have all impacted the legitimacy of Iraq’s government.

Attempting to assuage frustrations, Prime Minister Abadi put forth anti-corruption resolutions designed to reform his cabinet, but parliament refuses to accept them. The Iraqi government has slowed into a gridlock since the first Green Zone protest, and has yet to meet on any policy matters.

Exacerbating political inaction, Islamic State increased its terrorist bombings in Baghdad this week. On Wednesday, a group of bombings rocked multiple districts, specifically Sadr – a district heavily influenced by cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

Other attacks around the capital city this week have led to around 200 deaths; however, these suicide bombings are simply viewed as counter-offensive toward recent Iraqi successes, such as the push to reacquire Rutbah from IS control.

It remains uncertain how al-Sadr’s recent initiative to destabilize the Abadi government will affect the ongoing Iraqi offensive against Islamic State, or the degree to which Iran is involved. What is clear, however, is that we should not discount Al Sadr’s political influence, which derives largely from his ability to put followers, armed and unarmed, into the Iraqi streets.

Daniel Brennan
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