Iraq’s powerful Sadr says he quits politics, clashes erupt in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Aug 29 (Reuters) – Iraq’s powerful Shi’ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Monday he was quitting politics over an intractable political deadlock, sparking clashes between his followers and those backing Iran-aligned militia groups.

Dozens of young men loyal to Sadr and supporters of the Tehran-backed groups hurled stones at each other in street battles outside Baghdad’s Green Zone, which houses government compounds and embassies.

Gunfire was heard in central Baghdad, reporters said, apparently from weapons being fired into the air.

The clashes took place hours after Sadr announced he was withdrawing from politics, which prompted his supporters, who had been staging a weeks-long sit-in at parliament in the Green Zone, to demonstrate and storm the main cabinet headquarters.

Iraq’s army declared a curfew from 3:30 p.m. (1230 GMT) and urged the protesters to leave the Green Zone.

During the stalemate over forming a new government, Sadr has galvanised his legions of backers, throwing into disarray Iraq’s effort to recover from decades of conflict and sanctions and its bid to tackle sectarian strife and rampant corruption.

Sadr, who has drawn broad support by opposing both U.S. and Iranian influence on Iraqi politics, was the biggest winner from an October election but withdrew all his lawmakers from parliament in June after he failed to form a government that excluded his rivals, mostly Tehran-backed Shi’ite parties.

Sadr has insisted on early elections and the dissolution of parliament. He says no politician who has been in power since the U.S. invasion in 2003 can hold office.

“I hereby announce my final withdrawal,” Sadr said in a statement posted on Twitter, criticising fellow Shi’ite political leaders for failing to heed his calls for reform.

He did not elaborate on the closure of his offices, but said that cultural and religious institutions would remain open.

IMPASSE

Sadr has withdrawn from politics and the government in the past and has also disbanded militias loyal to him. But he retains widespread influence over state institutions and controls a paramilitary group with thousands of members.

He has often returned to political activity after similar announcements, although the current deadlock in Iraq appears harder to resolve than previous periods of dysfunction.

The current impasse between Sadr and Shi’ite rivals has given Iraq its longest run without a government.

Supporters of the mercurial cleric then stormed Baghdad’s central government zone. Since then, they have occupied parliament, halting the process to choose a new president and prime minister.

Sadr’s ally Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who remains caretaker prime minister, suspended cabinet meetings until further notice after Sadrist protesters stormed the government headquarters on Monday.

Iraq has struggled to recover since the defeat of Islamic State in 2017 because political parties have squabbled over power and the vast oil wealth possessed by Iraq, OPEC’s second-largest producer.

Reporting John Davison in Baghdad, Amina Ismail in Erbil, Iraq; Additional reporting by Alaa Swilam; Writing by Lina Najem; Editing by John Stonestreet and Edmund Blair

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