Demonstrations are continued for the third week in Baghdad, carried out by followers of Moqtada al-Sadr in Tahrir Square in the Iraqi capital (Baghdad), demanding reforms and fight against the corruption in the institutions and government departments, and the demonstrators were managed to cross all barriers and checkpoints installed and put by the security and military forces and the transit of the bridge of Al-Jumhuriya (the republic) towards the streets and surrounding buildings in the Green Zone.
Sadr ‘s followers were carrying Iraqi flags and chanted slogans demanding political and ministerial changes and reforms and to introduce the corrupt and thieves of public money for the courts, and demonstrators raised banners to support and calls for adherence to the reform project that was put forward by Moqtada al – Sadr in a speech that was directed to them on television screens placed near the places where the Sadr’s followers were demonstrating .
Al-Sadr has given the Iraqi government a period of 45 days to make wide repairs in the country and replace the current cabinet with technocratic ministers and threatened to resort to withdraw confidence from the government of Abadi , in the event of non -compliance with this choice.
The demonstrators began their march and sit in by – arriving into Tahrir Square in the Bab al Sharji area of central Baghdad in preparation for the start of the protests amid the spread of heavy security and the closure of the surrounding areas to the Tahrir Square, and the security forces cut the Salehia areas , Muthanna airport Street , the street of Al-Saadoon , Abu Nawas and Bab al Sharji and street Al-Zaytoon and Al-Tayaran Square and street of Al-Khayam and Al-Jumhurya bridge and the Sinak bridge willing to confront the demonstrators.
Al-Sadr was in an encouragement to the demonstrators and reward them, he described them as the best nation that came out for the Reformation and the best support for Iraq and confirmed his trust on them in the call for the reform and the fight against corruption and the corrupt.
in order to shed lights and motivations , implications and the reasons that were behind these events , we can read the following:
1.The threat of al- Sadr to breaking through into the green Zone in Baghdad if Abadi do not respond to the demands of the Iraqi people for reform and the prosecution of the corrupt in a speech to his supporters on February 28, 2016, and we can read the language of threats and intimidation while giving precedence to the directing of warning to the Government of Abadi confirming of the need to respond and obey the demands of the demonstrators otherwise the next will be wider and larger and the worst in the face of the corrupt.
2. It is worth noting that the Coming out of the demonstrations was a real declaration of what government Abadi faces from serious slides on how to guide the priorities of the Iraqi economy and the weakness of the government administration and the corruption of its ministers and those who made it and the demonstrators asked to bring them to the trial.
3. The demonstrations were well- organized in its management, and the control of it and this reminds us of the demonstrations held in the southern suburbs of Lebanon backed by Hezbollah supporters, and led by Hassan Nasrallah , and by the security and media methods of its lead and preparation even in the setting up the television screens in the transfer of speeches of Moqtada al – Sadr which are similar with actions done to Hassan Nasrallah.
4. The events have come to emulate the suffering of the Iraqi people and their patience on the faces of miserable living and a lack of services , health care , social welfare and the rise of an unemployment and the spread of bribery, nepotism and a lack of the most basic decent living requirements.
5. Al-Sadr’ s demamd in his own words to the need for a change of the current government and a call for a government of technocrats to lead the country towards economic and social policy to be in the harmony with the reality of the Iraqi people, but it lacks a realistic vision and a clear work program and a future project , especially since the AL-Ahrar bloc has 40 seats in the Iraqi parliament seats and its participation was limited in the formation of a parliamentary front that was crossed to the sectarianism within the Council and its mission was to support the reforms and addressing the project to divide Iraq and to correct the political process and this bloc includes (100) members of the Iraqi parliament.
6. The repercussions of these events indicated to provide a package of reforms by Al-abadi designed to combat corruption and improve services with the first launch of the demonstrations demanding political blocs to submit its vision of reform and List of the cabinet reshuffle to its cabinet ministers in the current government.
7. The demonstrations confirmed of the fact of the situation within the (National Alliance) and the cracked relationship among all the heads of blocs and parties that fall under this alliance and the different vision and perception of the nature of the state administration and thus lack of a solid and accurate foundations in dealing with errors and problems experienced by the state and the draw means and ways to come out of the crisis being experienced.
8. Al-Sadr’ s demand was to proceed with the formation of a government of technocrats without the tendency to the ruling party and is intended ( the ruling Dawa Party) and the responsible members of it and this shows how the lack of coordination and poor relationship among the parties and confirmed by the televised word spoken by Sadr ‘s supporters in the February 13, 2016 .
9. Abadi brought to the minds of his policy followed by him and he announced of it by the government program which he is committed to do when the government is formed at the end of 2014 and that he was able to develop basic goals of reform and the ambition his ministry that all political efforts to work together with them , but this was not made , a reflection indicates how difficult of coalition and cooperation and common understanding among all officials of the political blocs within the government institution or the Iraqi parliament , including a negative impact on the nature of the life of the Iraqi citizen , and daily problems faced by them .
10.The security escalation in confronting the protesters and give the power to the command of the joint operations in Baghdad to tightly control on the demonstrators and try to stop them that making official spokesman for the Saraya Al-Salam Salam of the Sadrist movement (Salah al – Obeidi) to call and emphasis in the March 17 2016 to continue the demonstrations and sit -in at the gates of the green Zone , and this prompted the protesters to break the first security barriers and rush across the bridge of A-Jumhurya towards the buildings surrounding the green Zone.
11. Warning of Muqtada al – Sadr indicated to the likelihood of clashes between his supporters and the security forces if they were not allowed to continue demonstrations and listen to them and confiscating their right to express their goals and demands for reform and the prosecution of the corrupt.
12. the repercussions of the demonstrations that the leadership of (National Alliance) was met and issued a statement which was read by Nuri al – Maliki in the March 17 2016 which stressed that the demonstrations is a constitutional right , but the sit – ins and the deployment of the weapon and the use of force is not constitutionally but outlaw and a gateway for more engagement in the internal front, and this statement reflects the fact that the political conflict and intellectual differences and the lack of clear vision in dealing with the situation in the country and the breadth of the sharp differences among the All parties of the National Alliance because this statement reflects the discontent and rejection of actions and demonstrations carried out by al- Sadr supporters.
Are we going to see in the coming weeks what was confirmed by al-Sadr in his televised words to his supporters to re-structure the political process and management of the Iraqi state or would the regional parties to intervene to end this conflict and the impact on demand of demonstrators and their goals?
Rawabet Center for Research and Strategic Studies