Protests break out in Iraq's Kirkuk against KDP's return

Fervent protests have hit the city of Kirkuk since Monday, 28 August, as residents vehemently oppose the return of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) to the city's political landscape. 

The KDP's reentry, after being expelled in 2017, has reignited historical fault lines and ethnic tensions, prompting demonstrations.
In a dramatic show of discontent, protesters have converged since Monday, denouncing the KDP's return and fearing the potential repercussions on the city's delicate equilibrium. The KDP, one of Iraq's prominent Kurdish parties, was previously evicted in the wake of a controversial referendum for Kurdish independence from Iraq.

The heart of the protests lies in Kirkuk's Shoraw neighbourhood, specifically in front of the Kirkuk Joint Operations Command, which previously served as the KDP's leadership headquarters. Demonstrators, primarily from the Arab community, voice concerns that the KDP's reemergence could disrupt the fragile stability achieved since its departure, possibly reigniting tensions among the city's diverse ethnic and religious groups.

Massoud Mullah Parwez, head of relations at the KDP’s branch in Kirkuk, told The New Arab in an interview over the phone that the party’s return to "their occupied headquarters" is based on the previous agreements between the KDP and other allies in the Coalition for the Administration of the State, that backed Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to form his cabinet in October 2022. 

He said the protests are "politically motivated" and described the protestors as "a group of chauvinists who are not representing the original people of Kirkuk." He also claimed that the protestors aim to "create chaos"  in the city before the upcoming provincial elections in Iraq scheduled for 18 November.

Arabs & Turkmen of Kirkuk refuse to hand over joint operations headquarters to Kurdistan Democratic Party KDP, joint statement by Arab coalition & Unified Iraq Turkmen Front.
KDP left Kirkuk headquarters following redeployment of federal forces in disputed areas, in October 2017. pic.twitter.com/ynQStJk3OP

— KirkukNow (@Kirkuknow_DT) August 27, 2023

 "The protestors fear the elections issue and the return of the KDP because the party is a strong Kurdistani force," Mullah Parwez added. 

TNA contacted Iraqi lawmakers representing the Arab community in Kirkuk and Turkmen officials but were not immediately reachable to comment.  

 For the first time since 2005, the elections will also be held in Kirkuk's multi-ethnic and oil-rich province, in a constitutionally disputed area between the Kurdistan region and the federal government in Baghdad.

On Wednesday, demonstrators blocked the Kirkuk-Erbil highway and held sit-in-tents, demanding Sudani cancel his decision to hand over the Kirkuk Joint Operations Command to the KDP. 

On Monday, covered live by Kirkuknow, protesters argued that "the KDP had kidnapped and killed" residents from Kirkuk in the building. They claimed that the whereabouts of nearly 500 Iraqis are still unknown, and the results of an ongoing investigation into the case are yet to be disclosed. 

Mullah Parwez confirmed to TNA that their expected return to Kirkuk will also include the return of security and peshmerga forces affiliated with the KDP and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). 

He said that per the joint agreement, the party will also re-run public posts in the city and that the Iraqi army and the KRG peshmerga should jointly maintain stability in the province.  

Thousands of Kurds, including Kirkuk and other disputed areas between Baghdad and Erbil, overwhelmingly voted "yes" for independence from Iraq on 25 September 2017. 

Official results showed that 92.73 per cent of voters backed statehood in the non-binding referendum, with turnout estimated at 72.61 per cent.