Kirkuk farmers concerned about new agricultural official’s appointment
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The official appointment of a director for Kirkuk’s agriculture department has reignited long-standing land disputes in the province, with Kurdish and Turkmen farmers accusing the department of renewing dozens of agricultural land contracts for Arab settlers at the expense of original landowners who hold court-recognized title deeds.
On Wednesday, the Kirkuk provincial council unanimously re-appointed Issam Sulaiman as director of agriculture. Farmers point out that the director renewed around 70 land ownership contracts for Arab settlers even before officially taking office.
“Since this director took office, we have had many problems with him,” Sami Ghafur, a representative of Kurdish farmers in Topzawa village in the central administrative district of Kirkuk province, told Rudaw on Thursday, adding that “all of our lands are still burdened by Baath-era contracts.”
Salman Ali, a Turkman farmer from Taza subdistrict, questioned the legality of the contract renewals. “I have come to file a complaint,” he told Rudaw at the Kirkuk agriculture directorate. “How can a contract be renewed while the land is physically in my possession?”
Land disputes between Arab settlers and Kurdish farmers in Kirkuk date back to Saddam Hussein’s Baath regime. In 1975, several Kurdish villages were declared prohibited oil zones, and residents were stripped of their land rights. By 1977, the Baath Supreme Revolutionary Court redistributed those lands to Arab settlers under agricultural contracts.
After the regime’s fall in 2003, Iraq adopted Article 140 of the Constitution to reverse such demographic manipulations. However, implementation of the constitution and laws aimed at reversing Baath-era policies has stalled.
In January, Iraq’s parliament passed a land restitution law to return property confiscated from Kurds and Turkmen during the Baath era. The legislation covers approximately 300,000 dunams - around 750 square kilometers, based on Iraq’s definition of a dunam as 2,500 square meters - in Kirkuk and other disputed areas. This followed a July 2023 federal government decision to revoke Baath-era contracts.
Sheikh Najat Talabani, a farmer from Anana village, who says he and his relatives own more than 3,000 dunams in the area, told Rudaw that the agriculture directorate has refused to cancel settlers’ contracts despite binding legal decisions.
“Any land that has been returned by a court decision must have its contracts cancelled,” Talabani said. “But unfortunately, the agriculture directors and the department do not act with a legal spirit; they operate with sectarian and ethnic mindsets regarding what is strictly a legal matter.”
Nashat Shahawez, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) bloc in the Kirkuk provincial council, said the issue is under review. “We have no issue with individuals, but we have many questions regarding the performance of the Kirkuk agriculture directorate,” he said. “We have spoken with this director, Mr. Issam; several contracts have been issued, and we will summon him to provide an explanation.”
The post of Kirkuk’s agriculture director, previously part of the Kurdish share, had been managed by the Arabs as an acting position since 2017. Under the new provincial administration agreement, the position has now been officially allocated to the Arab component, with Sulaiman - backed by lawmaker and Arab leader Wasfi al-Assi, chief of the al-Ubaid tribe - now assuming the role.
Hardi Mohammed contributed to this report from Kirkuk.
On Wednesday, the Kirkuk provincial council unanimously re-appointed Issam Sulaiman as director of agriculture. Farmers point out that the director renewed around 70 land ownership contracts for Arab settlers even before officially taking office.
“Since this director took office, we have had many problems with him,” Sami Ghafur, a representative of Kurdish farmers in Topzawa village in the central administrative district of Kirkuk province, told Rudaw on Thursday, adding that “all of our lands are still burdened by Baath-era contracts.”
Salman Ali, a Turkman farmer from Taza subdistrict, questioned the legality of the contract renewals. “I have come to file a complaint,” he told Rudaw at the Kirkuk agriculture directorate. “How can a contract be renewed while the land is physically in my possession?”
Land disputes between Arab settlers and Kurdish farmers in Kirkuk date back to Saddam Hussein’s Baath regime. In 1975, several Kurdish villages were declared prohibited oil zones, and residents were stripped of their land rights. By 1977, the Baath Supreme Revolutionary Court redistributed those lands to Arab settlers under agricultural contracts.
After the regime’s fall in 2003, Iraq adopted Article 140 of the Constitution to reverse such demographic manipulations. However, implementation of the constitution and laws aimed at reversing Baath-era policies has stalled.
In January, Iraq’s parliament passed a land restitution law to return property confiscated from Kurds and Turkmen during the Baath era. The legislation covers approximately 300,000 dunams - around 750 square kilometers, based on Iraq’s definition of a dunam as 2,500 square meters - in Kirkuk and other disputed areas. This followed a July 2023 federal government decision to revoke Baath-era contracts.
Sheikh Najat Talabani, a farmer from Anana village, who says he and his relatives own more than 3,000 dunams in the area, told Rudaw that the agriculture directorate has refused to cancel settlers’ contracts despite binding legal decisions.
“Any land that has been returned by a court decision must have its contracts cancelled,” Talabani said. “But unfortunately, the agriculture directors and the department do not act with a legal spirit; they operate with sectarian and ethnic mindsets regarding what is strictly a legal matter.”
Nashat Shahawez, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) bloc in the Kirkuk provincial council, said the issue is under review. “We have no issue with individuals, but we have many questions regarding the performance of the Kirkuk agriculture directorate,” he said. “We have spoken with this director, Mr. Issam; several contracts have been issued, and we will summon him to provide an explanation.”
The post of Kirkuk’s agriculture director, previously part of the Kurdish share, had been managed by the Arabs as an acting position since 2017. Under the new provincial administration agreement, the position has now been officially allocated to the Arab component, with Sulaiman - backed by lawmaker and Arab leader Wasfi al-Assi, chief of the al-Ubaid tribe - now assuming the role.
Hardi Mohammed contributed to this report from Kirkuk.