Ahmed Abu Risha
| Ahmed Buzaigh Abu Risha | |
|---|---|
Abu Risha in 2009.
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| Native name | أحمد أبو ريشة |
| Born | 1969 (age 47–48) Iraq |
| Occupation | Sunni tribal chief in Al-Anbar |
| Known for | "Anbar Awakening" - opposing al-Qaeda in Iraq |
| Political party | Unity Alliance of Iraq |
| Relatives | Abdul Sattar Abu Risha (younger brother) |
Sheik Ahmed Buzaigh Abu Risha (Arabic: أحمد أبو ريشة) is a Sunni leader in the Al-Anbar province, and formerly led the movement of Sunni tribesmen known as the Anbar Salvation Council.
Abu Risha was born in 1969 and is three years older than his brother Abdul Sattar Buzaigh al-Rishawi. He is a member of the Dulaim tribe.
On 13 September 2007, his brother Abdul Sattar Buzaigh al-Rishawi was killed along with two of his bodyguards by a roadside bomb near his home in Ramadi, Anbar, Iraq. Sheik Ahmed was selected to take over as leader of the Anbar Salvation Council by the Sheiks of Anbar province. The Sheik met with President Barack Obama both before and after the 2008 Presidential Election. As of November 2008, Abu Risha had a newspaper entitled Sahwat al-Iraq (Iraq's Awakening).
The Iraq Awakening and Independents National Alliance, a political coalition led by Abu Risha, was the most successful political coalition in the 2009 Anbar governorate election, winning 8 of 29 seats.
The Iraqi Salvation Council under the leadership of Shaykh Ahmed Abu Risha has just joined the newly created the Iraqi Unity Alliance, along with over 26 political parties, the most important ones, Iraqi Constitutional Party with former Interior Minister Jawad al-Bulani, Shaykh Ahmed al-Samarai, President of the Sunnis Waqf or Council, National Independent Assembly with Shaykh Omar Hechel, Saadoun al-Dulaimi, a former Minister of Defense, and so many others, because the list is still open for others to join the Alliance.
The Alliance went on to fare poorly at the 2010 parliamentary election, winning only 2.66% of the vote, and 4 seats. The Alliance seemed to lose most votes to the Iraqi National Movement, led by Ayad Allawi. The Alliance's poor showing has been blamed on the Awakening Movements failure to deliver rapid economic improvements, and of Sunni Arab's turning away from the party due to Abu Risha's closeness to Nour al-Maliki prior to the election.
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Wikipedia