Iraqi protesters began leaving the Green Zone in Baghdad after days of protests, TV footage showed.

Groups of protesters loyal to powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr appear in the footage heading to the heavily fortified area's gates.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and other political leaders promised on Sunday to deliver on radical reforms and stem a deepening crisis as protesters held an unprecedented sit-in inside Baghdad's heavily fortified government district.

Iraq has endured months of wrangling prompted by Abadi's attempt to replace party-affiliated ministers with technocrats as part of an anti-corruption drive. A divided parliament has failed to approve the proposal amid scuffles and protests.

Deep frustration among Iraqis over the deadlock culminated in a dramatic breach on Saturday of the Green Zone by supporters of powerful Shi'ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

Sadr wants to see Abadi's proposed technocrat government approved, ending a quota system that its opponents say has encouraged corruption.