ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Kirkuk’s agricultural land issues will be resolved as per the law and the misconduct against farmers will come to an end, Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha told reporters on Tuesday.

“We are with resolving the issues through the law, and the misconduct against the farmers of Shanagha village and Sargaran subdistrict should come to an end,“ Taha said in a press conference on Tuesday.

“The local government in Kirkuk is insistent that these problems should be resolved,” he added.

Tensions erupted on Monday morning after Iraqi forces prevented farmers in northern Kirkuk’s Sargaran subdistrict from entering and cultivating their lands.

The escalation came despite the recent passage of a law in the Iraqi parliament to return real estate properties confiscated under the previous Ba’ath regime to original Kurdish and Turkmen owners in areas that were subjected to the Arabization process.

The land restitution law, ratified by the Iraqi presidency last week, seeks to address property disputes stemming from resolutions enacted during the Ba’ath regime’s Revolutionary Command Council era. The regime transferred the ownership of hundreds of Kurdish and Turkmen properties in Kirkuk to the defense ministry and the municipality starting from the 1970s.

Iraqi army forces have repeatedly prevented Kirkuk’s farmers from entering the areas in recent years, stating that the lands belong to the state.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani also instructed the Iraqi Deputy Justice Minister to visit Kirkuk and take "necessary measures" regarding the lands in question.

Following the events of Monday, the Property Restitution law was officially published in the Iraqi Gazette on Tuesday, paving the way for its implementation.

The Kirkuk governor called on local villagers to have patience as the local government starts implementing the law.

“The law was published in the Iraqi Gazette … meaning that the law will enter the phase of implementation in the next month to month and a half,” Taha said. “You have waited 20 years … please let us, as the local government of Kirkuk, to resolve the issue as per the law in your favor.”