ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Sadrist Movement on Thursday said in a “proposal” to Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi that the head of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) Falih al-Fayyadh should be changed, claiming that he is not qualified for the position. This comes amid ongoing political tensions between the movement and Fayyadh’s coalition.
Weeks of protest by the supporters of powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Baghdad’s Green Zone turned violent on Monday after clashes erupted between a militia group affiliated to Sadr and groups affiliated to the rival PMF. At least 30 people were killed in the clashes which continued until Sadr ordered supporters to withdraw from the high-security zone on Tuesday. The unrest followed months of political deadlock following the October 2021 parliamentary elections.
Salih Mohammed al-Iraqi, a figure who is close to Sadr and acts like a spokesperson for the movement, said in a statement on Thursday that they have five “proposals” for Kadhimi, with the first one demanding the removal of Fayyadh, chairman of the Popular Mobilisation Committee (PMC) - a board created by the Iraqi government to bring the PMF under central government control.
Al-Iraqi claimed that Fayyadh is the leader of a political party , is not a strong figure and lacks “military mentality.”
“In general, he is not qualified for this position,” concluded the Sadrist official.
Fayyadh is also a leader of the Coordination Framework which is Sadr’s main rival and became the biggest parliamentary bloc after Sadr withdrew from the legislature in June. Most of the Hashd leaders are in the coalition.
The Sadrist official also called on Kadhimi to remove militia groups from the Green Zone and replace them with the army.
Kadhimi is the commander-in-chief of armed forces, including the Hashd.
The United States Department of Treasury sanctioned Fayyadh last year "for his connection to serious human rights abuse.”
Fayyadh had a central role in the suppression of Iraq's popular, anti-government protests that began in October 2019, the Treasury said.
