By Ahmad Shihadah
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his followers to cease hostilities, ending six days of violence in Iraq.  Sadr directed his Mahdi Army to cooperate with the Iraqi government’s efforts to maintain security, but did not tell them to give up their weapons.  In exchange for an end to the violence, Sadr demanded that his followers be released and given amnesty.  Sadr also used the statement as a rallying cry against the US forces in Iraq, calling them the “armies of darkness.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki targeted Sadr’s followers in an offensive launched last week aimed at improving security in the country.  The Maliki government hoped to weaken Sadr’s influence, both politically and militarily, but the plan appears to have backfired.  The offensive has been widely seen as a failure.  It is now Maliki, not Sadr, who appears to be politically and militarily weak.

The cease-fire itself shows Sadr’s strength.  Before he launched the offensive, Maliki claimed that there would be no negotiations.  After Sadr offered the ceasefire, a Maliki spokesman described Sadr’s statement as a “positive step.”  Instead of weakening Sadr’s influence, the recent violence has allowed him to solidify his base, both politically and militarily.

For more information, please see:

Time – How Moqtada al-Sadr Won in Basra – 1 April 2008

Reuters – Baghdad Green Zone Hit by Mortars – 31 March 2008

Washington Post – Sadr Tells His Militia To Cease Hostilities – 31 March 2008