The Iraqi authorities extended this Monday to “all the provinces of the country” the curfew declared for Baghdad a few hours earlier, after the massive demonstrations in the capital and the south due to the announcement by the influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr of who is retiring from politics.
“The Joint Operations Command announces a comprehensive curfew in all the provinces of Iraq as of 07: 00 pm today Monday and until further notice,” said the spokesman for the commander of the Armed Forces, Yehia Rasul. , on Twitter.
Tens of thousands of followers of the cleric took to the streets of Baghdad on Monday, where they stormed the presidential palace, and other provinces in southern Iraq.
At least 12 people have died and 270 have been injured in the Green Zone, the fortified area of the Iraqi capital that houses the main government buildings, which have been stormed by the Sadrists.
The UN mission in Iraq, which is based in the Green Zone, called on the demonstrators to leave and urged the “maximum restraint”.
For almost a year, the main political leaders have been unable to agree on the appointment of a new prime minister in Iraq, one of the world’s largest oil producers and which continues without a government or president since the legislative elections.