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Iraq
Members of the 'blue hats' at a makeshift checkpoint in Baghdad's Tahrir Square on February 4, 2020. Photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq’s influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Tuesday announced the dissolution of his “blue hat" militia and called on political parties to establish an independent government.
Political parties must “stop the partisan and sectarian pressures” on forming the next Iraqi government or risk losing his support, Sadr wrote in a tweet on Tuesday.
Mass anti-government protests which began in October forced Adil Abdul-Mahdi to resign as prime minister late last year. Former Minister of Communications Muhammed Tawfiq Allawi, was tasked by President Barham Salih on February 1 with forming a new cabinet after months of disagreements among parliamentary factions.
The protesters have rejected Allawi, claiming he is a candidate of the same post-2003 political establishment they want to depose.
Allawi is under intense pressure to form an inclusive government which satisfies Iraq’s powerful political blocs and the protesters who have been on the streets since October.
He now has until the end of the month to form a cabinet.
Sadr also announced the dissolution of the Saraya al-Salam militia, known as the “blue hats” for their distinctive headwear. The group had been participating in Iraq’s nationwide anti-government protests to protect the movement from armed pro-government factions.
Anti-government protesters have been in the streets for more than four months, demanding regime change, constitutional change, and better lives in a country where poverty and corruption are widespread.
Security forces and unidentified armed groups have responded with deadly violence, including live rounds and military-grade tear gas.
More than 600 protesters and security force members have been killed, and at least 18,000 people injured since protests began in October, according to Human Rights Watch.
The disbanding of the militia follows a deadly attack on protesters in Najaf on Wednesday, where individuals claimed to be part of the ‘Blue Hats’ killed 11 protesters and injured hundreds.
“I am still waiting for the investigation results of the attack on Sadrayn Square in the holy city of Najaf, in order to conduct my religious and national duty toward the implementers,” Sadr’s tweet concluded.
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