Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr turns up the heat on embattled Iraqi government.

Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr turns up the heat on embattled Iraqi government. (AlAraby).

Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has given Prime Minister Haidar Abadi 24 hours to form a cabinet of technocrats meant to replace party-affiliated politicians accused of perpetuating a system based on nepotism and patronage.

Addressing his followers during Friday prayers outside the main gates of Baghdad's restricted Green Zone, Sadr vowed to support any "reasonable" reforms proposed by Abadi, threatening to launch protests against any MPs who do not vote in favour of the reforms.


Asaad al-Nasseri, the Friday prayer preacher, also threatened to escalate against the government if it fails to form a new cabinet by the end of Sadr's deadline, calling to hold corrupt officials accountable for what has become of Iraq today.

"Our enemy; the Islamic State, and corrupt politicians all aim to destroy and drain the Iraqi people," he said, describing the Green Zone as a "barren" area.

On Friday morning, Sadr's followers responded to his calls and set up a protest camp outside the Green Zone, which houses Abadi's office, parliament and foreign embassies, to pressure the government into a swift cabinet reshuffle.

The protest camps were not authorized but no incident has been reported so far and the demonstrators even bonded with the security forces.


But the mood could change when the deadline expires as Sadr has threatened that his supporters will storm the Green Zone if their demands are not met.

Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr threatens to storm Baghdad's Green Zone.

Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr threatens to storm Baghdad's Green Zone. (AlArabiya).

Powerful Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has threatened to send his supporters to "storm" Baghdad's Green Zone, home to the country's government headquarters and foreign diplomatic missions.

Sadr made the threat on the back of a worsening political crisis in the ranks of the ruling National Alliance over quotas in the expected cabinet reshuffle.

But Sadr reassured foreign embassies they would not be harmed.

"If the people decided to enter the Green (Zone), there will be no assaults on embassies," he said.

"As for the embassies of the occupation Britain and America, I have told them that they must remain silent or withdraw. If they intervene in any way (against protesters) this will make them among the villains."

The escalation by Muqatada Sadr follows the failure of negotiations among the factions that make up the ruling coalition, regarding the political reforms planned by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Reported Iranian and even US mediation efforts have been in vain as a critical meeting of the National Alliance in Karbala on Sunday concluded without an agreement.

Sources present in the meeting told The New Arab that  talks were tense and unfriendly, prompting Muqtada al-Sadr to withdraw.

The sources said Sadr issued direct threats to other members of the coalition present if his group's demands were not met.

Sadr has since pledged protests would continue, accusing the prime minister of having no clear project. Sadr said the protests would remain peaceful, confirming major demonstrations would take place on Friday in Baghdad and other regions of Iraq.

#BreakingNews:
Just received a communique 4m Moqtada al-Sadr office in #Najaf. Would he repeats d experience of d #USA embassy 1979 n Iraq?

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) March 8, 2016