Supporters of populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr storm Iraqi parliament again

Iraqi security forces unsuccessfully tried to keep thousands of demonstrators loyal to Shi’ite cleric and former insurgent leader Muqtada al-Sadr from breaching Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone and storming the parliament building on Saturday.

This is the second time this week supporters of Sadr and his Sadrist movement have broken into Iraq’s parliament to protest the formation of a new government led by Iran-backed groups.

Protesters used ropes to pull down concrete barriers around the once-legendary Green Zone, which houses official buildings and foreign embassies in the capital. Security forces attempted to disperse crowds using tear gas and sound bombs, to no avail.

Many photos showed the triumphant Sadrists roaming the halls of the Iraqi parliament building. All parliamentary sessions have been suspended until further notice, according to the state news agency.

The health ministry said in a statement that 125 people were injured in the latest raid, including demonstrators and police. Many protesters interviewed by the agency cited corruption as the main reason they showed up.

"We are calling for a government free from corruption... and those are the demands of the people," said Abu Foad from amid a sea of protesters carrying placards with Sadr's photograph and national flags.

"We Iraqis have endured injustices because of those corrupt people," said another protester, 49-year-old Alaa Hussain.

"I have two unemployed children who graduated from university and I am unemployed. There are no jobs and that is all because of corruption."

The cleric who led resistance fighters against the United States for almost two decades reinvented himself as an anti-corruption politician and self-proclaimed champion of the dispossessed in 2018, reports Reuters. He formed an alliance with Communists and secularists and gained traction as staunch opponent of Iran and the Baghdadi elite allied with Tehran.

The U.S. and Iran has been fighting for influence in Iraq since the fall of former dictator Saddam Hussein, a Sunni Muslim, which created an opening for a Tehran-friendly Shi’ite-led government.

Sadr’s party came in first in an October election, but he commanded his 74 lawmakers to withdraw after failing to form a government without his Shi’ite rivals, most of whom were backed by Iran and have heavily armed militia wings.

Those rivals gained a majority they needed to move forward after the Sadrists pulled out of government formation talks in June.

Iraq has been without a president and prime minister for about 10 months due to Sadr’s ability to rally a vast grassroots resistance.

The United Nations called for de-escalation.

"Voices of reason and wisdom are critical to prevent further violence," said its mission in Iraq.