ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Sulaimani province will not hold official Eid al-Adha celebrations due to ongoing budget tensions between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) that have left over a million public servants unpaid, Governor Haval Abubakir said on Thursday.
“As a sign of protest against the existing power-holders and state authorities who advocate for civil, religious, and coexistence rights, we will not hold any official holiday celebrations,” Abubakir said in a statement.
Tensions between Erbil and Baghdad escalated last week after the Iraqi finance ministry said it would halt all budget transfers to the KRG, including salaries for public sector employees for the remainder of the year.
Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami, moreover, accused Erbil of exceeding its 2025 budget share by over $10 billion and cited its failure to hand over revenues, while KRG Finance Minister Awat Sheikh Janab rejected the figures as “made up” and criticized Baghdad’s justification as “laughable.”
Abubakir said that they will only observe religious rituals and refrain from celebrations, “based on the principle that ‘the crime of depriving someone of bread is greater than beheading the person.’”
“We assure you that all institutions of Sulaimani’s local government will be at the service of citizens,” he assured.
The federal finance ministry’s decision has been widely condemned by Kurdish authorities. On Wednesday, the KRG’s Council of Ministers accused Baghdad of imposing a “siege” on the Region.
“The decision to halt the Kurdistan Region’s salaries is unconstitutional and illegal, and constitutes collective punishment of all the Kurdistan Region’s citizens,” the KRG said in a statement.
Iraq’s oil ministry on Thursday responded and held the KRG responsible for what it said were “oil smuggling operations” from the Kurdistan Region, demanding the immediate handover of regional oil production.
On Sunday, Iraq's Federal Supreme Court announced that it registered a lawsuit filed by public servants in the Kurdistan Region seeking an injunction to ensure continued salary payments. However, a senior Iraqi government source told Rudaw on Monday that a ruling is unlikely soon, as some court members are currently on pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia for Hajj.
Eid al-Adha is one of the two main Muslim holidays, which will begin on Friday and continue for four days.
“As a sign of protest against the existing power-holders and state authorities who advocate for civil, religious, and coexistence rights, we will not hold any official holiday celebrations,” Abubakir said in a statement.
Tensions between Erbil and Baghdad escalated last week after the Iraqi finance ministry said it would halt all budget transfers to the KRG, including salaries for public sector employees for the remainder of the year.
Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami, moreover, accused Erbil of exceeding its 2025 budget share by over $10 billion and cited its failure to hand over revenues, while KRG Finance Minister Awat Sheikh Janab rejected the figures as “made up” and criticized Baghdad’s justification as “laughable.”
Abubakir said that they will only observe religious rituals and refrain from celebrations, “based on the principle that ‘the crime of depriving someone of bread is greater than beheading the person.’”
“We assure you that all institutions of Sulaimani’s local government will be at the service of citizens,” he assured.
The federal finance ministry’s decision has been widely condemned by Kurdish authorities. On Wednesday, the KRG’s Council of Ministers accused Baghdad of imposing a “siege” on the Region.
“The decision to halt the Kurdistan Region’s salaries is unconstitutional and illegal, and constitutes collective punishment of all the Kurdistan Region’s citizens,” the KRG said in a statement.
Iraq’s oil ministry on Thursday responded and held the KRG responsible for what it said were “oil smuggling operations” from the Kurdistan Region, demanding the immediate handover of regional oil production.
On Sunday, Iraq's Federal Supreme Court announced that it registered a lawsuit filed by public servants in the Kurdistan Region seeking an injunction to ensure continued salary payments. However, a senior Iraqi government source told Rudaw on Monday that a ruling is unlikely soon, as some court members are currently on pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia for Hajj.
Eid al-Adha is one of the two main Muslim holidays, which will begin on Friday and continue for four days.
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