2012–2013 Iraqi protests
2012–2013 Iraqi protests | |||
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Part of the Arab Spring and the Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013) | |||
Date | 21 December 2012 (1 year, 1 week and 2 days) | – 30 December 2013||
Location | |||
Caused by |
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Methods |
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Resulted in |
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Parties | |||
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Lead figures | |||
Decentralized leadership
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Casualties | |||
Death(s) | 200+ |
The 2012–2013 Iraqi protests started on 21 December 2012 following a raid on the home of
Background
Iraqi Sunni minority traditionally held power in Iraq, but the Sunni-dominated Ba'ath party was overthrown by the United States Armed Forces during the 2003 invasion, and Shia majority gained power. The majority of Iraqis are Shiites.
Unlike the protests in 2011, which revolved around issues of corruption and national security, the new protests were driven by Sunni Arabs who felt marginalized in the post-Saddam Iraq, and who claimed that anti-terrorism laws were allegedly being abused and used to arrest and harass Sunnis. The growth of the protests, however, led the initial demands to be expanded, and eventually one of the main requests of the protesters was the resignation of Prime Minister Maliki.
Timeline
2012
December
21–27 December
The protests began on 21 December 2012 following a raid on the home of Sunni Finance Minister Rafi al-Issawi and the arrest of some of his bodyguards.[6]
Following the arrest several thousand protesters took to the streets of
28 December "Friday of Honour"
28 December saw the protests increase in size, with tens of thousands taking part in the "Friday of Honour" protests against perceived government sectarianism.[8]
29 December – 4 January
In their second week, the protests spread to
On 30 December Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq, a Sunni and critic of Maliki, travelled to Ramadi to attempt to address the protesters. Mutlaq's convoy was pelted with bottles and stones, and protesters chanted for him to leave, with some being angry that Mutlaq had taken a week to support the protesters, believing that he had come to undermine the protests.[10] Bodyguards for Mutlaq wounded two people when they fired warning shots. Mutlaq's office described the incident as an attempted assassination by rogue elements.[11]
2013
January
5–11 January
The week of 5 January saw continuing anti-government protests in Mosul, Kirkuk, Tikrit,
Since the beginning of the protests, the Ninewa Operations Command of the
The Baghdad Operations Command also implemented a cordon in
In the west of Iraq units from the 29th Mechanised Brigade of the 7th Army Division closed the Jordan-Iraqi border crossing at Trebil due to unspecified security concerns.[9]
Thousands of pro-Maliki demonstrators took to the streets in at least 5 governorates on Tuesday 8 January to voice support for Maliki and oppose an attempts to change the
25 January "No Retreat Friday"
On 25 January, several protests were held across Anbar Governorate, with other protests also appearing in Samarra, Baqubah, Kirkuk, Mosul, Baghdad, and Hawija, as part of "No Retreat Friday."[13] The protests turned deadly in Fallujah, as soldiers opened fire on a crowd of rock-throwing demonstrators, killing 7 and injuring more than 70 others. Three soldiers were later shot to death in retaliation for the incident, and clashes erupted in Askari, on the eastern outskirts of Fallujah. Security forces were placed on high alert as a curfew and vehicle ban were brought into effect. In a statement, Maliki urged both sides to show restraint and blamed the incident on unruly protesters. He also warned that it could lead to a "rise in tension that al-Qaida and terrorist groups are trying to take advantage of".[14][15]
Thousands of people attended the funerals of the slain protesters on 26 January, some carrying
February
22 February "'Iraq or Maliki"
On 22 February thousands of protesters took to the streets of Ramadi, Baghdad, Mosul, and Fallujah following Friday prayers in order to continue the demonstrations against the
The day also saw seven members of a
March
8–10 March
On 8 March police fired on Sunni demonstrators in Mosul, killing 1 protester and injuring 5 others.[19] Police claimed that they fired into the air to disperse stone throwing protesters. In response to the shooting the Minister of Agriculture, Izz al-Din al-Dawla, hosted a televised news conference where he announced his resignation from his cabinet post to protest the killings. Dawla therefore became the second minister of resign as part of the protests, after Rafi al-Issawi.[20]
On 10 March Bunyan Sabar al-Obeidi, an anti-government protest organiser and spokesman for the Sunni protests in Kirkuk, was shot and killed whilst driving his car in Kirkuk in a drive-by shooting by unknown gunmen. Obeidi had escaped an assassination attempt the previous week.[19]
April
Sunni uprising and backlash
Following four months of protests, on Friday 19 April, an Iraqi officer was killed in clashes between security forces and protesters in Hawija, a town west of Kirkuk. Following the refusal of residents to hand over suspected perpetrators the security forces sought; Hawija was then put under siege.[21]
On the morning of 23 April, a security forces operation in Hawija resulted in the deaths of about 20 protesters and 3 Iraqi soldiers. Over a hundred people were injured.[22] The clashes erupted after security forces entered the area that was being used as a sit-in by Sunni protesters against the government. Sheikh Abdullah Sami al-Asi, a Sunni provincial official, said the violence resulted from the security forces entering the area and trying to make arrests.[23] There was also retaliatory violence in the surrounding Sunni-majority region where other gunmen attacked police checkpoints in Riyadh and Rashad until a military counterattack a few hours later.[24] On the same day, at least 21 others were killed as they left Sunni mosques in Baghdad and Diyala.[25] Following the raid, Sunni tribal leaders called for a revolt.
The next day revenge attacks continued against the police action. The north of the country featured more violence between security forces and protesters.
Following the clashes in Suleiman Bek the
On 27 April, the Iraqi government banned 10 satellite channels, including
May
On 17 May, at least 72
June–November
Following the April Hawija clashes, the number of protesters diminished, and sectarian violence increased.[42] In July however, as Ramadan began, the protests intensified for a time.[43]
Provincial elections took place in Anbar in June 2013, and afterwards the new governor, Ahmad Khalaf al-Dhiyabi of the Muttahidoon coalition, began seeking ways to reconcile with Maliki. With the approval of protesters, Dhiyabi began negotiations with the Maliki government on 7 October.[44] On 25 November, Dhiyabi led a delegation to meet with Maliki in Baghdad once again. Maliki agreed to many of the protesters' demands, but reiterated that the protests should be stopped.[45]
December
By late December Prime Minister Maliki was claiming that the Ramadi protest camp had been turned into a headquarters for the leadership of al-Qaeda.[46] Simultaneously the Iraqi army was conducting an offensive in Al Anbar Governorate against al-Qaeda.[47]
On Saturday 28 December MP Ahmed al-Alwani was arrested in a raid on his home in Ramadi. During the raid Alwani's brother, as well as 5 of his guards were killed. Eight other guards were wounded, whilst 10 members of the security forces were also wounded. Alwani was a prominent supporter of an anti-government protest camp situated on a highway near Ramadi.[48] Reacting to his arrest, influential Sunni cleric Sheik Abdul Malik Al-Saadi urged Sunni protesters to defend themselves.[49]
The following evening, on Sunday 29 December, an Iraqi defense ministry spokesperson claimed on state TV that local Sunni leaders and clerics had agreed to peacefully end the 12 month sit in at the Ramadi protest camp[46] after the Iraqi government had warned them that the camp was a potential shelter for al-Qaeda.[47]
The following day Iraqi security forces dismantled the Ramadi protest camp, however police special forces units claimed they came under fire when trying to enter the camp. At least ten people were killed and a number of police vehicles were attacked and burned, whilst Iraqi government helicopters supported security forces moving in on the camp. Loudspeakers from some Mosques in Ramadi reportedly exhorted people to "go to jihad."[46] A doctor at Ramadi hospital claimed that 10 gunmen had been killed and 30 wounded,[50] whilst 3 policemen were killed and some four police vehicles destroyed.[51]
Several hours later, in reaction to the violence in Ramadi, some 40 Sunni MP's offered their resignations. The MP's demanded the withdrawal of the army from Ramadi and the release of Ahmed al-Alwani.
Aftermath
Following the December 2013 clashes, ISIL launched a campaign in Anbar, taking control of Fallujah and temporarily occupying parts of Ramadi.
Responses
Domestic
Government
The Iraqi government took steps to appease the protesters. On 29 January 2013 the Iraqi government announced that it would raise the salaries of
Opposition groups
- Sadrist Movement – On 1 January 2013, Shiite cleric and politician Muqtada al-Sadr came out in favour of the protests and blamed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for the unrest in Iraq. In a warning to Maliki, Sadr stated: "The Iraqi spring is coming." Sadr even expressed his willingness to travel to Al Anbar Governorate to join in the protests, but stated that his support was conditional on the protests remaining peaceful and did not seek to promote sectarian divisions.[57] Sadr later made a rare television appearance where he prayed alongside Sunni clerics in a landmark Sunni mosque in Baghdad. Sadr however has been criticised due to his previous support for militias and engagement in violence against Sunni's during the Iraq War.[58]
International
- Prince Saud al-Faisal warned that the Iraqi government needed to address the issue of sectarian extremism in order to restore peace, on January 5 at a press conference in Riyadh.[61]
See also
References
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- ^ a b "Iraq's Sunnis Form Tribal Army, As Sectarian Violence Builds". NPR. 27 April 2013.
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