Iraq’s Basra, Dhi Qar Witness Military Reinforcement to Contain Confrontations

The Iraqi Chief of Staff and his accompanying delegation met with security leaders in Dhi Qar on Tuesday (Al-Nasiriya News Network)
The Iraqi Chief of Staff and his accompanying delegation met with security leaders in Dhi Qar on Tuesday (Al-Nasiriya News Network)
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Iraq’s Basra, Dhi Qar Witness Military Reinforcement to Contain Confrontations

The Iraqi Chief of Staff and his accompanying delegation met with security leaders in Dhi Qar on Tuesday (Al-Nasiriya News Network)
The Iraqi Chief of Staff and his accompanying delegation met with security leaders in Dhi Qar on Tuesday (Al-Nasiriya News Network)

Heading a sizable military delegation from Baghdad, Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army Abdel Emir Yarallah on Tuesday visited the southern provinces of Dhi Qar and Basra.

The visit comes a day after demonstrators lit a government building on fire in Dhi Qar’s central business district of Nasiriyah.

In Basra, local clans clashed with armed factions affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

The violent confrontations, which erupted in the vicinity of the presidential palace complex in Basra, witnessed the use of mortars and medium weapons.

“The governorate was reinforced with security forces to consolidate security, pursue saboteurs and prevent any attempts to destabilize security and stability in Nasiriyah,” said Dhi Qar governor Muhammad Hadi upon the arrival of the military delegation.

Hadi revealed that at least 30 rioters were arrested and referred to the judiciary for punishment. The governor added that another 20 arrest warrants have been issued against those involved in vandalism in Nasiriyah.

While some are blaming Nasiriyah’s events on anti-corruption protesters, others argue that the Coordination Framework is behind what happened. The Coordination Framework has a desire for taking over the position of governor in Dhi Qar.

“The Coordination Framework believes that it is more deserving of the position of governor in Dhi Qar given it has secured a parliamentary majority after the withdrawal of the Sadrist bloc,” a local administration source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

According to the source, Coordination Framework lawmakers and representatives from the Emtidad Movement had convened on Monday to find a way to topple Hadi, who is a Sadrist, from his position.

“A group of masked protesters had attacked security forces with Molotov cocktails,” field sources based in Dhi Qar told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“Security forces responded to the attack with live ammunition to disband the amassing crowds,” sources added.



Sudan's Military Accepts UN Proposal of a Weeklong Ceasefire in El Fasher for Aid Distribution

The wreckage of cars lie on the remains of the Shambat Bridge, which connects Omdurman and Bahri, on June 24, 2025 in the Sudanese capital region. (AFP)
The wreckage of cars lie on the remains of the Shambat Bridge, which connects Omdurman and Bahri, on June 24, 2025 in the Sudanese capital region. (AFP)
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Sudan's Military Accepts UN Proposal of a Weeklong Ceasefire in El Fasher for Aid Distribution

The wreckage of cars lie on the remains of the Shambat Bridge, which connects Omdurman and Bahri, on June 24, 2025 in the Sudanese capital region. (AFP)
The wreckage of cars lie on the remains of the Shambat Bridge, which connects Omdurman and Bahri, on June 24, 2025 in the Sudanese capital region. (AFP)

Sudan's military agreed to a proposal from the United Nations for a weeklong ceasefire in El Fasher to facilitate UN aid efforts to the area, the army said Friday.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called Sudanese military leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and asked him for the humanitarian truce in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, to allow aid delivery.

Burhan agreed to the proposal and stressed the importance of implementing relevant UN Security Council resolutions, but it’s unknown whether the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces would agree and comply with the ceasefire.

“We are making contacts with both sides with that objective, and that was the fundamental reason for that phone contact. We have a dramatic situation in El Fasher,” Guterres told reporters on Friday.

No further details were revealed about the specifics of the ceasefire, including when it could go into effect.

Sudan plunged into war in April 2023 when simmering tensions between the Sudanese army and the rival RSF escalated into battles in the capital, Khartoum, and spread across the country, killing more than 20,000 people.

The war has also driven more than 14 million people from their homes and pushed parts of the country into famine. UNICEF said earlier this year that an estimated 61,800 children have been internally displaced since the war began.

Guterres said on Friday that a humanitarian truce is needed for effective aid distribution, and it must be agreed upon several days in advance to prepare for a large-scale delivery in the El Fasher area, which has seen repeated waves of violence recently.

El Fasher, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) southwest of Khartoum, is under the control of the military. The RSF has been trying to capture El Fasher for a year to solidify its control over the entire Darfur region. The paramilitary’s attempts included launching repeated attacks on the city and two major famine-stricken displacement camps on its outskirts.