Interim governor Rakan al-Jabouri issued an order giving residents of Kurdistan and Newroz in Kirkuk seven days to leave under the pretext of trespassing on state property.
“No force and no one can evict the people of these two neighborhoods and they will stay in their homes,” said Mohammed Othman, MP in the Iraqi parliament from Kirkuk province.
The order has been cancelled, he added, explaining that the eviction notice was based on a ruling issued under the Baath regime giving the then-security apparatus authorization to evict Kurds and confiscate their lands.
“The governor has claimed that there was a misunderstanding and he did not have precise information, so this decision was annulled,” Othman added.
Jabouri was appointed to the post of interim governor in mid-October, taking over from Najmaldin Karim who was ousted by Baghdad for his support of Kurdistan’s independence vote and raising the Kurdistan flag in Kirkuk.
After Iraqi forces took control of the disputed areas late last year, reports emerged of renewed Arabization. At least one police officer was punished and relocated in connection to the reports.
KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said he discussed the disputed areas when he met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad on Saturday.
He said that neither the Iraqi government, nor the KRG can have full authority over these areas alone, stressing to Abadi that only implementation of the constitution would restore stability in the area.
“The implementation of Article 140 is the best solution for the existing problems in these areas,” Barzani said in a press conference on Monday. “We in detail talked about the implementation of the article with Mr. Prime Minister.”
