Iraq: Demonstrators rally outside Baghdad's Green Zone
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 18 April 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Iraq: Demonstrators rally outside Baghdad's Green Zone, 18 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57690028c.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
April 18, 2016
Iraq has been hit by weeks of political turmoil surrounding Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi's efforts to set up a technocrat government. (file photo)
Hundreds of Shi'ite demonstrators have rallied in central Baghdad to call for reforms.
The demonstrators gathered outside the heavily fortified Green Zone where the government is headquartered.
The rally comes after powerful Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr threatened to call mass protests if lawmakers fail to vote in "a cabinet of independent technocrats" by April 19.
Last month, Sadr organized a two-week sit-in outside the Green Zone.
Iraq has been hit by weeks of political turmoil surrounding Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi's efforts to replace the cabinet of party-affiliated ministers with a government of technocrats.
Abadi has said the turmoil could threaten the campaign against the Islamic State group, which control large swaths of territory in the country's north and west.
Based on reporting by AFP and AP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
