It seems that the process has hit an IED, as various reports suggest that have filtered out from Sadr City. I'm not writing it off completely, as there are several bright spots that can be gleaned from other reports...

First, the bad news, from Reuters...

An agreement aimed at ending fighting in the Baghdad bastion of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr appeared on the verge of collapse on Tuesday after gunmen attacked U.S. troops.

The deal between the ruling Shi'ite alliance and Sadr's opposition movement in parliament to end fighting in the Sadr City slum district was formally signed on Monday.

But with the ink barely dry on the 16-point pact, clashes flared overnight and through Tuesday, raising questions over how much control the anti-American cleric has over some of the Mehdi Army militiamen who profess allegiance to him.

From Al Jazeera...

At least 11 people have been killed and 20 others wounded after US troops and Shia fighters clashed in Baghdad's Sadr City, hospital officials have said, despite a truce being agreed at the weekend.

The US military on Tuesday confirmed clashes had taken place but said only three fighters had been killed.

The fighting erupted late on Monday, just hours after Iraq's main Shia political bloc and supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army signed a cease-fire with the hope of ending seven weeks of violence in the city.

Women and children were among the wounded, hospital officials said.

The US had a nasty little scare as the IHT points out...

A surface-to-air missile was fired on Saturday at an American Apache helicopter flying over the Sadr City section of Baghdad, American military officials said on Monday. The attack, which had not been disclosed previously, represents the first time that a helicopter has come under missile attack in Sadr City since fighting erupted in the Shiite enclave in March.

The missile missed the aircraft. But the attack was sufficiently worrisome that the American military changed the route of an aerial tour of Baghdad it had arranged for a group of reporters, television cameramen and photographers on Monday. Two helicopters were to fly over or near Sadr City, but an official said the route had been changed because of the missile threat.

Okay, now to address some of the good news about the ceasefire...

From Gorilla's Guides...

Aid organisations and residents of Baghdad’s mainly Shia district of Sadr City welcomed on 11 May a truce between Shia militiamen loyal to radical leader Moqtada al-Sadr and US-backed government forces, ending seven weeks of clashes that left daily life almost paralysed since 25 March.

“We welcome and encourage any act, agreement and dialogue that helps end the bloodshed of Iraqis and helps aid organisations do their work properly in reaching all needy persons,” said Basil al-Azawi, head of the Iraqi Commission for Civil Society Enterprises (ICCSE), a coalition of over 1,000 Iraqi non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

“The deteriorated security situation that Sadr City witnessed over the past seven weeks hindered all aid operations and, in our estimation, only 1 percent of the City’s medical, food and public services needs are being met. There is a lot to be done,” al-Azawi told IRIN.

Al-Azawi added that there are plans and programmes to assist residents of Sadr City “but all these plans are still in theory as we are monitoring the situation on the ground fearing that this lull [in fighting] could be a fragile one”.

In another IHT article...

Nevertheless, pro-Sadr clerics negotiated the new cease-fire and one said Tuesday it was taking hold and would be enforced.

"We signed an agreement and we are loyal to the agreement we reached," said Sheik Salah al-Obeidi, an aide to al-Sadr. "There might be some violations from both sides and we have to try to prevent them."

The deal allows Iraqi forces to take over security in the militia stronghold of Sadr City on Wednesday. "Any attack against residential areas, government offices and the Green Zone are prohibited from Sadr City or from another area," the agreement said.

Sadr has, apparently, finally endorsed it as the Reuters article pointed out...

SADR AIDE URGES PATIENCE

A senior political aide to Sadr urged patience with the truce, saying it might take time to filter down.

"Ceasefires cannot always be implemented immediately. Violations will happen in the first few days. Some armed groups may not be aware of it," Luwaa Sumaisem told reporters in the holy Shi'ite city of Najaf, where Sadr has a major office.

In a positive turn...(also from reuters)

A Mehdi Army statement read out in mosques in Sadr City late on Monday said the deal must be respected.

Which should be tempered by this...

One Mehdi Army commander called Abu Ammar said his men would not recognise the truce unless U.S. and Iraqi forces ended what he called attacks on militiamen.

"If this truce is just a game, our guns are ready," he said.

Off to a rocky start...