ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – A Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) official on Wednesday said that the Kurdish position in Kirkuk’s administration has weakened, with the majority of senior positions now predominantly held by Arab officials, stressing the importance of correcting this imbalance.

Speaking to The New Region, head of the KDP’s Kirkuk-Garmiyan Organization Office Hiwa Ahmed Mustafa said that “the process of demographic change and Arabization is still ongoing” by the Iraqi government in Kirkuk, “to the extent that the army is still preventing Kurdish farmers from cultivating their lands.”

Following the Iraqi army’s takeover of Kirkuk in 2017, Kurdish farmers working in the disputed province have routinely faced judicial persecution and military interference due to ownership disputes stemming from confiscated lands during the Baath era’s Arabization efforts.

Despite the regime’s fall, Baghdad has failed to address the conflict concerning land ownership in the area, despite the existence of an article in the 2005 constitution to resolve land disputes.

Mustafa also revealed that during the tenure of the previous governor, Rakan al-Jubouri, “72,000 Arab settlers were brought into Kirkuk,” which he said “runs contrary to the provisions of Article 140 and was carried out with the aim of altering the city's national character.”

Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution requires the reversal of the Baathist regime’s Arabization policies and mandates a process to outline a clear and definitive boundary in areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad - including Kirkuk - by introducing a referendum to determine the will of the residents living on the lands.

Although the article specifies that this process must be completed by no later than December 31, 2007, successive Iraqi governments have failed to implement the constitutional article for nearly two decades.

To overcome the crisis, the official emphasized the importance of dialogue with Baghdad and with Arab political forces.

“Kurdish leadership needs to hold talks with Baghdad at a high level,” he said, as a means to restore Kurdish rights, strengthen the Kurdish political stance, and balance the participation of all components in Kirkuk’s administration.

The KDP late last month ended its two-year boycott of Kirkuk Provincial Council meetings, saying the decision came in response to the demands of supporters and out of political responsibility. 

The party has been especially vocal about Arabization and the marginalization of Kurds in disputed Kirkuk.

Last week, the KDP’s Kirkuk-Garmiyan Organization Office slammed the “irresponsible” remarks by Mehmet Seman, the Turkmen governor of Kirkuk, who downplayed Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, with Kurds having long called for its implementation. 

“The constitution and Article 140 have laid out a correct and contemporary roadmap for resolving and eliminating disputes in Kirkuk province and other areas of Iraq,” the KDP said at the time.

On October 16, 2017, the Kurds lost control over Kirkuk and other disputed territories after a military offensive by the Iraqi government was conducted in the province, bringing it under the rule of Baghdad. The Kurdish authorities have continuously pledged the eventual return of the lost territory.