ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkmen and Arab representatives called for judicial oversight of the controversial return of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) to the multi-ethnic city where protests and counter-protests have snarled traffic for nearly a week.
The KDP shut down its offices in Kirkuk after Iraqi forces and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic) regained control of the province in October 2017 and expelled Kurdish Peshmerga and security forces. Three of the KDP’s offices were taken over by Iraqi forces, including that of its leadership council, located on the main Kirkuk-Erbil road and currently occupied by the military’s Joint Operations Command (JOC).
Recently, reports have surfaced that Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani ordered Iraqi forces to evacuate KDP buildings in Kirkuk and hand them over to the party so that it can return to the city and resume its political activities. The rumors have been met with strong backlash from the Arab Coalition, PMF supporters, as well as Turkmens.
Arshad Salihi, a prominent nationalist parliamentarian of the Iraqi Turkmen Front, expressed opposition to the KDP’s return and called for the matter to be resolved through the judiciary after Iraq’s provincial council elections, scheduled to take place on December 18.
“Any decision to be taken for the city of Kirkuk without seeking the opinion of its ethnic representatives causes destabilization of security and deterioration of social peace,” Salihi said in a press conference. “The best solution is to settle the matter through the judiciary after the elections.”
Salihi argued that any discussions and dealings by Baghdad and Erbil without consulting the people of Kirkuk “pushes us towards requesting international support,” including asking other countries to intervene as mediators.
The Arab Coalition in Kirkuk released a statement last week saying that the JOC headquarters are a symbol of the improved security after Iraqi forces retook control in 2017. Returning the building to the KDP, it argued, would incite concerns over the province’s security once again.
The statement called on Sudani to not make a decision on the matter, but leave it for specialized courts. The Arab Coalition claimed that the lands on which the KDP offices were built belong to the state and were reconstructed by the federal government before the JOC moved into them.
Kirkuk is a multiethnic city home to Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen, as well as an Assyrian minority. The city was under joint administration before 2014, when Kurds took full control after Iraqi forces withdrew in the face of a brazen offensive by the Islamic State (ISIS) group threatening the city. Kurds held Kirkuk until October 16, 2017, when Iraqi forces retook control and expelled Kurdish security forces following the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) independence referendum. While other Kurdish political parties remain active in Kirkuk, the KDP refused to return, saying the city was “occupied” by Shiite militias.
Dozens of protesters, mainly members of the Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia and their supporters, have set up tents near the JOC headquarters since Sunday evening in protest of a KDP return. They have blocked access to the highway and vowed to continue their demonstration until Sudani retracts his decision.
On Saturday, Sunni Sovereignty Alliance MP Abdullah al-Mafraji in a press conference said that the crisis in Kirkuk is “resolvable” and that “the ball is now in the prime minister’s court.”
“The acceleration of events and the development of the matter into protests, and the prime minister’s insistence on his position, considering this matter as a part of a political agreement that preceded the formation of the government, further complicated the crisis,” he said.
“We support the return of the Kurdistan Democratic Party to Kirkuk. It is a political party that has the full right to participate in the political process of the province,” he continued, but said that a potential KDP return must be “in accordance with the law and not through political clashes or strong political stances.”
With the key thoroughfare blocked, vehicles are forced into the streets and alleys of nearby neighbourhoods, including hundreds of transport trucks that use the highway on a daily basis.
Turkmen Front leader Hassan Turan on Saturday announced that his party would sue MP Wasfi al-Assi, who had allegedly claimed that the Front gave the green light for the handover of the JOC headquarters to the KDP.
“Representative Wasfi al-Assi failed to prove our signature to handover the headquarters to the Kurdistan Democratic Party,” he said. “We are confident that the Iraqi judiciary will do us justice.”
Kurdish residents of Kirkuk on Saturday afternoon amassed in protest against the blockage of the highway. They expressed support for a KDP return to the city and accused Arabs of silencing them. The protesters lit fires in several streets and blocked traffic.
A protester in Kirkuk waves the Kurdish flag as unrest continues in the city with Kurdish protesters angry over the blockage of the main Kirkuk-Erbil road pic.twitter.com/meN23Aqhtu
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) September 2, 2023
A convoy of civil defense teams traveling from Erbil to Karbala to assist Shiite pilgrims during the holy Arbaeen procession was pelted with rocks when it entered Kirkuk. Several people were injured.
Security forces on Saturday opened fire at a Kurdish protest. Kirkuk police spokesperson Amer Muheidin told Rudaw that one protester has died and a dozen more have been injured.
Sudani on Saturday evening directed security forces in Kirkuk to impose a curfew and initiate a "large-scale security operation in areas that witnessed riots" to prevent unrest from escalating.
KDP rivals - the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the New Generation Movement (NGM) - have accused the KDP of orchestrating the protests in a bid to “gain the sympathy” of Kurdish voters in Kirkuk ahead of the provincial council elections later this year.
Masoud Mala Parwez, a KDP official in Kirkuk, told Rudaw on Monday that some Iraqi forces have already begun the evacuation process as Sudani issued his decision nearly a month ago. He said the KDP will run their election campaign from their former Kirkuk offices.
Trigger warning: Video showing the moment when security forces started firing live ammunition at Kurdish protesters, demonstrating against the closure of the main Kirkuk-Erbil highway, in Kirkuk. pic.twitter.com/OTK8ehfBxV
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) September 2, 2023
Iraq will hold provincial council elections on December 18, the first of their kind since 2013. The councils, created by the 2005 Iraqi constitution following the fall of Saddam Hussein, are powerful bodies that hold significant power, including setting budgets for several sectors such as education, health, and transport.
While the elections will exclude the provinces of the Kurdistan Region, they are viewed by Kurdish parties as a key opportunity to regain a foothold in the strategic yet historically-disputed Kirkuk.
Updated at 7:24 pm with curfew announcement and the death of a protester
