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Kirkuk
- On January 2nd, the 61st division of the Iraqi army, which is responsible for the security file of Kirkuk, raided the Kurdish neighborhood Azadi for the second time in one week. The early morning raids have caused frustration among Kirkuk’s Kurdish population.
- Kurdish writing has been removed from new road signs that were installed recently by Kirkuk’s municipality, sparking anger among Kirkuk’s Kurds. An official from the municipality claimed the new signs were made in Turkey, and it was a “technical error.” Since October 16, 2017, Kurds have been victims of forced demographic change and discriminatory policies by the illegal administration, imposed on the people of Kirkuk by Baghdad.
- After rejection by the prime minister’s office, the acting governor of Kirkuk, Rakan Saed al Jabouri, canceled a planned protest by two Arab parties that was set for January 7th. The protest was to advocate for al-Jabouri to remain in office. The planned demonstration by al-Jabouri’s party, the Arab Project and their allies, the Arab Coalition, aimed to overshadow the ongoing talks between Kurdish parties to designate a Kurdish governor.
- On Wednesday, January 5th, Iraq’s Federal Court of Cassation ruled in favor of the Kurdish owners of 4,000 dunams (988 acres) in Daquq district. The ruling came after a lawsuit was filed by the department of agriculture of Kirkuk, claiming that the land belonged to Arab tribesmen from outside of Kirkuk. The tribesmen were settled in Kirkuk by the former regime of Saddam Hussein as part of the Arabization process. The court said the land belonged to two local Kurdish groups. The court will review two additional lawsuits that will soon determine the ownership of 14,000 dunams (3212 acres). In 1993, the former Ba’ath regime stripped 17,000 dunams of Kurdish land and distributed it to Arab tribesmen from outside of Kirkuk as part of the Arabization process.
- Despite initial rejection by the local administration and the Turkish embassy in Baghdad, the Kurdish sponsored Annual Theater Festival took place in Kirkuk with the participation of Kurdish artists, as well as companies from Turkey, Iran, Syria, and Iraq. According to a local source, the Kirkuk administration was obligated to allow the festival to take place, following pressure from Baghdad.
- The Turkish-backed Iraqi Turkmen Front released a statement supporting changing the names of two districts in Kirkuk from Kurdish names to Arabic and Turkish names as was done by the former Ba’ath party regime of Saddam Hussein. The statement called for changing Pirde to Altun Kopri, and supported changing Dibis to its Arabic form of spelling, which the acting governor has already implemented.
- Nearly 50 organizations demanded a new law criminalizing the denial of Kurdish genocide committed by the former dictator Saddam Hussien. The calls came after a trend on social media where some journalists and media outlets praised the former dictator. The demand resulted in significant backing from several Kurdish institutions, including the Martyrs and Genocide department.
Khanaqin
- The Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture renewed a contract on 7,000 dunams (1,729 acres) of Kurdish-owned land to Arab tribesmen in Jalawla (Golala). In 2009, the committee of article 140, returned ownership of the farmland to the original Kurdish owners. However, the ministry of Agriculture ignored the ruling, allowing Arab tribesmen to take over the Kurdish land.
Tuz Khurmatu
- Shia parties in Tuz Khurmatu, including Hikma and Dawa are aiming to form a new province of “Tuz” consisting of Amerli, Tuz Khurmatu, and Suleiman Beg districts. The move is considered unconstitutional because the town is part of the disputed territories between Baghdad and Erbil. The Shia parties support this move because it would make the majority Kurds and Sunnis minorities in the new province. In recent years, there has been a mass migration of Shias to Amerli and displacement of Kurds and Sunnis in Tuz Khurmatu.
Makhmour
- On December 31st, a local volunteer force, composed of local Kurds, foiled a Da’esh attack on a military court near the Qarachokh mountains. Kurdish forces intervened and thwarted the attack, killing four terrorists in the process. Additionally, Iraqi security forces warned of potential Da’esh attacks on oil fields near Makhmour in the near future.
Shingal (Sinjar)
- Seven Yazidi protesters were charged under Iraq’s anti-terror law, “Article 4”. The charges stemmed from a lawsuit by the Nineveh Operations Command after Yazidi Kurds protested against Turkish airstrikes on the town. There has been increased tension and clashes in Shingal between security officers and demonstrators as a result of the Turkish airstrikes.
- Iraq’s Integrity Commission launched investigations after corruption allegations were raised by Yazidi organizations of mismanaging funds which were allocated to return displaced Yazidis to their homes. Shingal suffers from a lack of security, basic services, and ongoing Turkish airstrikes.