BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi has urged armed factions to join state institutions.
Al-Zaidi, who only recently took office, has voiced support for the state’s monopoly on weapons as Washington calls for groups it designates as terrorist organizations to hand over their weapons to the government.
It comes after influential Muqtada Al-Sadr said his own group would do so.
Al-Sadr has long criticized armed factions and repeatedly urged them to disarm.
Al-Zaidi called in a statement, “on all armed factions to follow the same responsible national path and operate under the umbrella of the state and its official institutions.”
This would “guarantee the protection of Iraq, preserve its sovereignty, and strengthen security and stability, based on the principle that the state is the sole authority entitled to monopolize arms and enforce the law,” Al-Zaidi said. Al-Sadr announced “the complete separation” of his armed group, Saraya Al-Salam (the Peace Brigades), from his political party and its “full integration into the state.”
He did not provide details on how this would happen.
Al-Zaidi said Al-Sadr’s “initiative represents an important step toward strengthening internal stability, reinforcing the principle of restricting weapons to the state, and supporting the security forces in carrying out their national and constitutional duties.”
But Al-Sadr has made several reversals over the years, and he has announced on several occasions that he is withdrawing from politics.
Several powerful Iraqi politicians have also called for a state monopoly on weapons, revealing divisions over the sensitive issue.
While some armed groups showed readiness to cooperate, others remain adamant that the issue should not be discussed under US pressure.
