Protesters overrun fortified Green Zone in Baghdad

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have been holding demonstrations and sit-ins for months to demand an overhaul of Iraq’s corrupt and ineffective political system, but Saturday was the first time they broke into the Green Zone, home to most government ministries and foreign embassies.

Iraqi security forces fired tear gas at one entrance of the zone but appeared to be largely standing down as protesters marched through the area, waving Iraqi flags.

Iraq has been mired in a political crisis for months, hindering the government’s ability to combat the Islamic State group — which still controls much of the country’s north and west — or address a financial crisis largely caused by the plunge in global oil prices.

Al-Sadr and his supporters want to reform the political system put in place following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, in which political blocs representing the country’s Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds rely on patronage, resulting in widespread corruption and poor public services.

Iraqi security forces initially responded by tightening security across the capital, sealing off checkpoints leading to the Green Zone and halting traffic on main roads heading into the city, according to the Baghdad Operations Command.