hundreds of protesters in Iraq stormed parliament for the second time this week on Saturday.
The followers of the influential Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr stormed into parliament to protest attempts at government formation led by his rivals, an alliance of Iran– supported groups.
The scenes, in which at least 125 people were injured, according to a statement from the health ministry, came after similar protests on Wednesday.
Iraqi security forces initially used tear gas and stun grenades to repel the protesters.
Once inside, the protesters announced an open-ended sit-in, claiming they would not disperse until their demands were met.
Parliament Speaker Mohammed Halbousi has suspended future sessions until further notice.
Protesters had previously used ropes and chains to tear down concrete barricades leading to the gate of . led BaghdadThe heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses government offices and embassies.
The move comes after Al-Sadr’s party failed to form a government, despite winning the largest number of seats in last October’s federal elections.
The populist cleric has used his followers as leverage against rivals, ordering them to occupy parliament in the past.
Al-Sadr’s rivals in the Coordination Framework — an alliance of Shia parties backed by Iran and led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki — showed signs of internal division in response to the protests.
Initially, it called for “peaceful” counter-protests to defend the state.
“Civil peace is a red line and all Iraqis must be ready to defend it by any peaceful means possible,” the alliance said.
Later, Hadi al-Amiri, an alliance leader, released a statement inviting our “dear brother” al-Sadr to “a serious dialogue” about the political deadlock.
The United Nations expressed concern about further instability and called on Iraqi leaders to de-escalate.
“Voices of reason and wisdom are critical to prevent further violence. All actors are encouraged to de-escalate in the interest of all Iraqis,” the statement said.
Interim Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi also called for restraint in a speech.
“The political blocs must sit down and negotiate and come to an agreement in the interest of Iraq and the Iraqis,” he said.