A tenuous peace returned to Iraq on Monday following the call by the radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr for his militia to withdraw from clashes with Iraqi government forces.

In Basra the Iraqi army took control of deserted militia checkpoints as residents emerged to bury their dead and clear away the debris after six days of clashes. In Baghdad the government partially lifted a curfew, despite sporadic clashes throughout the morning and a mortar barrage targeting the “Green Zone” government and diplomatic compound.

The uneasy truce comes after six days of intense fighting and is the result of negotiations over the weekend between members of the government’s ruling Shia coalition and Sadr representatives.

Nouri al-Maliki, Iraqi prime minister, had initially ordered troops into Basra to target “criminal gangs” linked to the Sadrist militia, the Mahdi army, and demanded his fighters hand over weaponry by the end of the week. The fighting spread to Baghdad and other Shia cities in the south, leaving more than 240 dead and a political deadlock.

It remains to be seen whether the truce can last.

Ali al-Dabbagh, a government spokesman, said: “We will continue to fight against criminal elements of the militia, whilst protecting legitimate political parties. We have succeeded in taking the first step towards this.”

He added: “Those who do not withdraw from the streets, we will consider them outlaws and not from the group of Sadr.”

Hazem al-Aaraji, a spokesman for the Mahdi army, said: “We are a legitimate force that is fighting for the freedom of all Iraqis. We will never surrender to the government, and certainly not to the government of al-Maliki.”

Under the terms of Sunday’s agreement, Mr Sadr promised to rein in his fighters while stipulating an amnesty for his followers and the release of imprisoned members of his movement. So far his demands have not been met. Another potential flashpoint is the extended April 8 deadline for the Mahdi army to handover its heavy weaponry, which the militia has refused to do.

Mr Maliki’s assault on the militia was meant to be a decisive test of the US-trained Iraqi army, and to revive his flagging leadership. Instead the protracted fighting has opened a new fissure within Iraq’s Shia community.

“I don’t think any party can claim victory,” said Mustafa Alani, analyst at the Dubai-based Gulf Research Centre. “Sadr asked his followers to move away from the streets but he is not asking them to disarm. It came out of an agreement, not defeat.”

As residents of Basra left their houses on Monday to buy vital supplies, responses to the fighting were mixed. Many have rallied around Mr Sadr, and drew parallels to the Iraqi government’s assault and Saddam Hussein’s repression of a Shia rebellion in 1992.

Akil al-Idani, a government employee in Basra and member of the rival Fadila party, said: “Maliki has come close to destroying Basra, just like Saddam did. There’s no water, no electricity, and the main shopping street is destroyed. Is this how you fight against criminals?”