Iraq: Al-Sadr orders some Peace Brigades militias to disarm

Event

On Wednesday, June 27, influential Shi'a cleric and politician Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his Peace Brigades militia in Basra to suspend operations. The following day, Sadr expanded the order, commanding Peace Brigades to disarm in all areas except Samarra, Karbala, and Baghdad, and banned the group from launching operations outside Iraq. Sadr also ordered the Brigades to hand over weapons used in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) to the Iraqi government. According to Sadr, the move is intended to strengthen the incoming government, in which he is expected to play a key role. The order also follows an explosion at a Peace Brigades arms cache in Sadr City, Baghdad, that killed 18 people on June 6. It is however, unclear what the effect will be, as most of the Peace Brigades are in the three excluded areas, and previous disarmament orders have had minimal impact.

Context

On June 12, Shi'a cleric Moqtada al-Sadr announced that his Saairun Alliance would form a political alliance with Hadi al-Amiri's pro-Iran Fatah Coalition. The move marks a major step toward the formation of a government, after weeks of negotiations between political coalitions and low turnout and allegations of fraud during the recent parliamentary elections. The Iraqi parliament ordered a nationwide manual recount after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, citing a government report, claimed that there were "dangerous violations" during the vote. A ballot box storage depot in Baghdad subsequently caught fire on June 10, which Abadi deemed a deliberate "plot to harm the [Iraqi] nation and its democracy;" four people were arrested in connection to the incident, including three police officers and a member of the Independent High Elections Commission (IHEC).

Advice

Individuals in Iraq are advised to closely monitor the situation, avoid all protests and large public gatherings as a precaution, and adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities. The security environment in Iraq remains complex. Although travel is possible in some areas with proper security protocols in place, other areas should be considered strictly off-limits. Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to all travel.