Amid attempts to quell violence in cities across Iraq, a UN official stressed Tuesday that “the smallest spark can suffice to trigger a major disaster.”
In the Oct. 4 Security Council briefing, UN Special Representative for Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert discussed worrisome developments in Iraq following major protests in recent weeks, violence in both the capital and southern parts of the country, and deadly Iranian strikes in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
“The importance of maintaining calm, of maintaining dialogue, constitutional compliance, respect for democratic principles, the unimpeded working of state institutions, and a functioning government,” have been repeatedly underlined by the UN in its meetings with Iraqi officials and others over the past year, she said. “But regretfully, discord and power play prevailed over a sense of common duty.”
For months, Hennis-Plasschaert said, “the ordinary Iraqi citizen was being held hostage to an unpredictable and untenable situation.” And, she added, "we have not seen the end of it yet. Last night, after three days of rocket attacks, Basra witnessed intense fighting, while smaller incidents were reported in other southern governorates.”
The months-long 2019 protests prompted early elections, which were "extremely hard-earned," she said. "And with this in mind, the absence of a functioning government 12 months later is hard to justify.”
In an exclusive interview with Le Figaro published on Monday, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi meanwhile stated that he did not allow supporters of Shiite firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to enter the Green Zone in late July, “but the situation was spiraling out of control. Our security forces could not have stopped them from ransacking official buildings, and the other side was also interfering. That's why I ordered restraint on our men.”
Armed factions linked to Sadr and to Iran clashed in late August,?leaving dozens dead, before Sadr called on his supporters to leave the Green Zone, as Al-Monitor reported.
Killings and conflict continued in the following days in the key southern port city of Basra. This city has in recent days once again seen clashes, which were ongoing as of Tuesday morning, reportedly resulting in multiple deaths.
In the Le Figaro interview, the Iraqi prime minister stated that he has invited the various factions to dialogue, but "many of them do not believe in democratic values. Throughout our history, we have tried violence, but we have destroyed our country.”
The UN representative added in her briefing that “while one would expect that recent events would have served as a wake-up call, the harsh reality is that, to date, intra-Shia strife has not abated, nor have Kurdish parties come closer to agreeing on a presidential candidate.”
Elections held a year ago this month in Iraq saw very low turnout. Political bickering has prevented a new government from being formed since then. Though calls have been made for fresh elections, many Iraqis have told Al-Monitor in recent weeks in Baghdad that they have lost hope in elections.
“Actors across the spectrum failed to place the national interest first,” Hennis-Plasschaert said Tuesday.
In one of the cities that was a focal point of the 2019 protests, Nasiriyah, about 350 kilometers south of Baghdad, protestors set fire to government facilities on Monday. A number of security personnel were injured.