New Wave of Assassinations Targets Anti-Govt Activists in Iraq

A new wave of assassinations targeting political activists in Iraq has evoked the memory of the violence during the 2019 anti-government protests in the country. (AFP file photo)
A new wave of assassinations targeting political activists in Iraq has evoked the memory of the violence during the 2019 anti-government protests in the country. (AFP file photo)
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New Wave of Assassinations Targets Anti-Govt Activists in Iraq

A new wave of assassinations targeting political activists in Iraq has evoked the memory of the violence during the 2019 anti-government protests in the country. (AFP file photo)
A new wave of assassinations targeting political activists in Iraq has evoked the memory of the violence during the 2019 anti-government protests in the country. (AFP file photo)

A new wave of assassinations targeting political activists in Iraq has evoked the memory of the thousands killed, injured and kidnapped during the 2019 anti-government protests in the country.

With many predicting a fresh round of protests, Iraqi activists are accusing militiamen linked to the Sadrist movement of standing behind the latest violence.

On Monday, several protesters were attacked in the central city of Najaf, three activists were assassinated in the southern city of Nasiriyah and fierce clashes broke out between demonstrators and security forces in the Wasit governorate.

Ahmed al-Helo, an Iraqi activist from the central Babylon governorate, accused militants from Saraya Al Salam, the military wing of the Sadrist movement, of physically assaulting and beating him on Monday evening.

Circulated video footage showed al-Helo’s battered body as he was telling the story of how he was attacked by the hooligans.

In Najaf, gunmen kidnapped Iraqi poet and political activist Youssef Gibran, who is known for his harsh criticism of Iran and its proxy militias in Iraq. Activists also accused Sadrist followers of committing the kidnap.

The mother of the slain Iraqi activist Mohannad al-Qaisi, who was killed during the Najaf riots last year, published a recorded speech holding Moqtada al-Sadr, the cleric who leads the Sadrist movement, fully responsible for the deaths and abduction of activists.

“You ordered your followers to carry out the Najaf massacre last year,” she said, noting that many can testify to the cleric’s involvement in the violence.

Activist and blogger Ali al-Sonboli, also from Najaf, reported on raids, kidnappings and beatings targeting demonstrators who posted their opinions, especially those relating to the Najaf massacre, on social media.

He warned that the violence against activists is taking place under oversight from local authorities and police stations.

“The situation in Najaf is very worrying, amid the militias' domination of the security environment,” said Sonboli, adding that activists do not know who to turn to when it comes to deterring the violence of criminal militias.



Sudan Army Says Retakes Khartoum-Area Market from RSF

 A burned military vehicle sits at Khartoum international airport a day after it was recaptured from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP)
A burned military vehicle sits at Khartoum international airport a day after it was recaptured from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP)
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Sudan Army Says Retakes Khartoum-Area Market from RSF

 A burned military vehicle sits at Khartoum international airport a day after it was recaptured from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP)
A burned military vehicle sits at Khartoum international airport a day after it was recaptured from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP)

The Sudanese army said on Saturday it had taken control of a major market in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, long used by its rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as a staging ground for attacks.

It is the latest conquest in the army's major offensive this month to wrest back control of the entire capital region, which includes Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri -- three cities split by branches of the River Nile.

The blitz saw the army recapture the presidential palace on March 21, followed by the war-damaged airport and other key sites in the city center.

In a statement, army spokesman Nabil Abdullah said forces extended "their control over Souq Libya in Omdurman" and seized "weapons and equipment left behind by" the RSF as they fled.

Souq Libya, one of the largest and busiest in the Khartoum area, had for months been an RSF stronghold and a launchpad for attacks on northern and central Omdurman since the war with the army began on April 15, 2023.

While the army already controls much of Omdurman, the RSF still holds ground in the city's west, particularly in Ombada district.

Late Thursday, the military spokesman said that the army had "cleansed" Khartoum itself from "the last pockets" of the RSF.

Sudan's war began almost two years ago during a power struggle between the army and the RSF, a paramilitary force that was once its ally.

Khartoum has seen more than 3.5 million of its people flee since the war began, according to the United Nations. Millions more, unable or unwilling to leave, live among abandoned buildings, wrecked vehicles and what the army says are hidden mass graves.

The war has carved Sudan in two: the army holds sway in the east and north while the RSF controls most of Darfur in the west, and parts of the south.