Protesters loyal to nationalist cleric Moqtada Al Sadr on Wednesday stormed a government complex in Baghdad known as the International Zone, or Green Zone, breaking down several concrete barriers despite attempts by security guards to stop them with water cannons.
The International Zone hosts Iraq’s Parliament, foreign embassies and residencies of several of the country’s politicians, including the offices of a number of Cabinet ministers.
The protesters — crowds of whom were seen inside the building chanting slogans against corruption on Wednesday evening — were rallying against the nomination of Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, a veteran politician aligned with former prime minister Nouri Al Maliki.
The crowds seemed jubilant, shouting pro-Al Sadr slogans and waving Iraqi flags. Some brandished plastic rubbish bins in a gesture to the corrupt and that they are determined to dispose of them as refuse.
In scenes that resembled a repeat of unrest in May 2016 — when the International Zone was stormed by thousands of Sadrist protesters who ransacked Parliament — security forces were seen to be exercising restraint.
There was hope Wednesday's protest would end without bloodshed as Mr Al Sadr praised his supporters for standing against "corruption" before asking them to "pray and go back to your homes safely.”
"Your message has been delivered," he said on twitter.
Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi, who leads a caretaker government and is currently in western Iraq's Anbar province inaugurating a new power station, had previously called on demonstrators to “preserve public and private property” and to “listen to instructions of the security forces responsible for protecting them in accordance with the regulations and laws and to immediately withdraw from the Green Zone”.
But Mr Al Sadr's rival political bloc, the Co-ordination Framework, released a statement saying it held the caretaker government responsible for allowing the protesters inside the Green Zone, demanding “tough measures to maintain security and order and avoid chaos and any illegal practices”.
Former deputy Parliament speaker and Sadrist official Hakim Al Zamili arrived in the Green Zone late on Wednesday and reportedly urged the protesters to leave the building.
Mr Al Zamili, a senior member of the cleric's movement, gained notoriety after the US-led 2003 invasion as a commander in Mr Al Sadr's militia forces, which were widely accused of kidnapping and murder.
Both the Sadrists and the Co-ordination Framework are armed militias that have been in a simmering feud for years that has involved assassinations and occasional street battles.
Long-term rivals
Mr Al Maliki is a long-time rival of Mr Al Sadr, whose militia fought against security forces loyal to the former prime minister in the southern port city of Basra in 2008.
Mr Al Sadr commands hundreds of thousands of loyal supporters, mainly hailing from impoverished urban areas and rural parts of the south, as well as a stronghold in Baghdad known as Sadr City.
Originally supported by Iran, the cleric has become an outspoken opponent of what he says is foreign interference in Iraq, in reference to the US and Iran.
Iran has nurtured a network of militias known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces, an umbrella organisation of armed groups who are partially under Iraqi government control, after legislation pushed for by Mr Al Maliki.
Mr Al Sadr's political bloc won the plurality of seats in Iraq's Parliament in the October elections, but he withdrew 73 MPs from the body in June, decrying the entire political process as corrupt.
The withdrawal has left Mr Al Sadr's Iran-backed rivals in the Co-ordination Framework bloc in the lead position to form a government, which would include Mr Al Maliki and Mr Al Sudani, as well as a number of figures closely aligned with Iran, including Hadi Al Amiri and Qais Al Khazali, both of whom control large militias.
Mr Al Sadr has vowed to hold frequent demonstrations to protest against the government failure to provide jobs and services, although he retains strong influence within a number of ministries.
Thousands of Sadrist supporters last stormed the Green Zone in 2016, assaulting and injuring an MP and taking over the National Assembly building before peacefully leaving the complex. A second attempt months later resulted in at least seven deaths.
Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Where to apply
Applicants should send their completed applications - CV, covering letter, sample(s) of your work, letter of recommendation - to Nick March, Assistant Editor in Chief at The National and UAE programme administrator for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, by 5pm on April 30, 2020.
Please send applications to nmarch@thenational.ae and please mark the subject line as “Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism (UAE programme application)”.
The local advisory board will consider all applications and will interview a short list of candidates in Abu Dhabi in June 2020. Successful candidates will be informed before July 30, 2020.
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Partizan Belgrade 0
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PRIMERA LIGA FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Atletico Madrid v Sevilla (3pm)
Alaves v Real Madrid (6.15pm)
Malaga v Athletic Bilbao (8.30pm)
Girona v Barcelona (10.45pm)
Sunday
Espanyol v Deportivo la Coruna (2pm)
Getafe v Villarreal (6.15pm)
Eibar v Celta Vigo (8.30pm)
Las Palmas v Leganes (8.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Valencia (10.45pm)
Monday
Real Betis v Levante (11.pm)
