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Objections Impede Announcement of New Coordination Framework Alliance in Iraq

Municipal workers perform works at the Freedom Monument in Tahrir Square in the center of Iraq's capital Baghdad on September 24, 2022. (AFP)
Municipal workers perform works at the Freedom Monument in Tahrir Square in the center of Iraq's capital Baghdad on September 24, 2022. (AFP)
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Objections Impede Announcement of New Coordination Framework Alliance in Iraq

Municipal workers perform works at the Freedom Monument in Tahrir Square in the center of Iraq's capital Baghdad on September 24, 2022. (AFP)
Municipal workers perform works at the Freedom Monument in Tahrir Square in the center of Iraq's capital Baghdad on September 24, 2022. (AFP)

The Shiite pro-Iran Coordination Framework in Iraq was on the verge of announcing a new alliance that would be tasked with forming a new government.

Prominent Shiite leaders, however, called for suspending the announcement until it is certain that Sadrist movement leader, Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, and members of the October protest movement would not oppose it.

The “management of the state” alliance would include the Framework, Sunni Sovereignty and Azm alliances and Kurdish Democratic Party and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, comprising around 273 lawmakers.

Former Prime Minister and longtime Sadr rival, Nouri al-Maliki has been the most eager member of the Framework to unveil the alliance, but sources said that “the emergence of fundamental objections by Shiite leaders” has put the announcement on hold.

Three main objections have emerged and were the subject of hours of discussions by Framework members, who are under immense pressure from the Sadr and the protest movement.

The first objection came from Hadi al-Ameri, leader of the Badr Organization, who called for putting the announcement of the alliance on hold until guarantees are obtained from Sadr. The guarantees can only be secured by meeting with the cleric.

The objection did not sit well with Maliki, who has been urging his colleagues to “overcome their fear of the Sadrist movement.”

The second objection came from head of the Hikma movement, Ammar al-Hakim, who supports the formation of a government of independent figures and representatives of the protest movement.

The third objection was voiced by former Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, who has called for the Framework’s withdrawal of Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's nomination as prime minister.

The nomination had sparked street protests by Sadrists that in turn led to clashes with the Framework that put Iraq on the brink of conflict. Insisting on his nomination would risk enflaming tensions with Sadr.

Figures close to Abadi said these objections forced the Framework to delay the announcement of the new alliance.

Meanwhile, on the ground, hundreds of elite members of the armed factions have redeployed in Baghdad’s Green Zone as the October protest movement prepares to commemorate the third anniversary of their anti-government demonstrations.

The “management of the state” alliance not only excludes Sadr, whose 73 MPs resigned from parliament earlier this year in protest against the ongoing political stalemate, but Turkmen figures as well.

Turkmen officials expressed their disappointment at the exclusion, noting that the group is the third largest in Iraq after Arabs and Kurds.

With 273 MPs, the new alliance would be able to elect a new president and designate a new prime minister to form a government. A president is elected with 220 votes and a PM is designated with a half plus one majority.

Sadr has yet to comment on the would-be alliance that includes his former Sunni and Kurdish allies.

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Arab World

Sudan Arms Surge Raises Alarms Over Civilian Protection

Sudan says it destroyed 50,000 explosive remnants of war (AFP)
Sudan says it destroyed 50,000 explosive remnants of war (AFP)
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Sudan Arms Surge Raises Alarms Over Civilian Protection

Sudan says it destroyed 50,000 explosive remnants of war (AFP)
Sudan says it destroyed 50,000 explosive remnants of war (AFP)

A surge in deadly violence has gripped the quiet northern town of al-Dabbah, exposing the growing threat posed by the rampant spread of weapons across Sudan in the absence of effective state control.

At least eight people were killed over just two days, four in tribal clashes and four others in a street fight within the town.

The latest bloodshed comes amid a broader climate of insecurity, where gunfire has become a common soundscape. In nearby Omdurman, social media users circulated graphic footage of a young man shot dead in cold blood after resisting an attempt to steal his mobile phone.

Reports of killings and injuries from arguments and brawls settled with bullets have flooded social platforms, painting a grim picture of lawlessness. Armed robbery gangs are said to roam freely, terrorizing civilians with no security forces in sight.

As Sudan’s brutal conflict enters its third year, guns have become as commonplace in towns and villages as household items. What was once settled with fists or sticks is now resolved through the barrel of a gun.

Tens of thousands of civilians have reportedly armed themselves, citing the need for self-defense amid state collapse and the disintegration of law enforcement.

Even before the war erupted, estimates suggested around 2.2 million firearms were circulating in Sudan’s conflict zones. Since then, the figure is believed to have ballooned, with unofficial estimates placing the current number at nearly six million, most acquired privately or informally.

In al-Dabbah, local authorities confirmed tribal clashes erupted between members of the Kababish and Hawaweer tribes, leaving four dead and others wounded before security forces intervened. The following day, a quarrel between vehicle drivers escalated into a gunfight, claiming four more lives.

Meanwhile, in the Omdurman district of Al-Hattana, gunmen fatally shot a man while attempting to snatch his phone, another grim scene that social media brought into public view.

Weapons have now flooded Sudan’s markets. Eyewitnesses and former security officials say that under the brief control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, firearms were openly sold on the street like vegetables, with prices starting at just 20,000 Sudanese pounds, roughly $10.

Security experts say this gun chaos is not a sudden phenomenon but the product of years of unchecked proliferation.

Under former President Omar al-Bashir, weapons were distributed to tribal militias to fight opposing groups. With the eruption of nationwide conflict, arms have spread from the traditional battlegrounds of Darfur and Kordofan to cities in Sudan’s north, east, and center.

Legal analyst Moaz Hadra warned of the growing dangers of “random arming,” saying some groups are being trained and armed outside Sudan to destabilize the country. “Why are these groups being trained abroad instead of within Sudan’s military institutions?” he asked when speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat.

Officials Downplay Risk, Citing Self-Defense

Despite mounting violence, Sudanese security and military officials continue to downplay the threat. They argue that most weapons are held by civilians for self-protection against RSF attacks or roaming bandits. “Should a citizen wait helplessly while armed men storm his home?” one commentator asked rhetorically.

Brigadier General Fath al-Rahman al-Toum, a police spokesman, dismissed fears of total lawlessness, saying that gun crackdowns are ongoing and that firearms possession is being treated as an exceptional situation under extraordinary circumstances.

Others, like Brigadier General Saleh Abdullah, insist that once the war ends, collecting the weapons will be “very easy,” noting that most guns were distributed under strict regulations to reserve forces and can be retrieved using serial numbers registered to each piece. “The army has always managed its weapons according to clear protocols,” he said.

Major General Mujahid Ibrahim added that Sudan’s porous borders, particularly in the west, have made it easier for arms to enter the country unchecked, exacerbating the crisis. Still, military officials say weapons loaned to civilians can be recovered thanks to detailed logs and unique identifiers.

Yet, as al-Dabbah and Omdurman reel from fresh bouts of violence, the gap between official reassurance and on-the-ground chaos continues to widen. With Sudan’s civil war showing no sign of abating, the unchecked spread of guns threatens to tear apart what remains of the country’s fragile social fabric.