Iraq/ Ethnic clashes in Kirkuk, 4 protesters lost their lives

2023-09-03 17:44:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

A dispute over a key building between Kurds on one side and Arabs and Turkmens on the other has led to violent clashes in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. A curfew was imposed but later lifted.

Authorities on Sunday lifted a curfew in Iraq's multi-ethnic northern city of Kirkuk that was imposed after deadly protests on Saturday. Four protesters were shot dead and more than a dozen wounded in clashes between ethnic groups that erupted after days of tension, security forces and police said.

At the center of the dispute is a building in Kirkuk that was once the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), but has served as a base for the Iraqi army since 2017.

The central government plans to return the building to the KDP as a show of goodwill, but Arab and Turkmen opponents oppose the move and set up a protest camp in front of the building last week.

What happened in Kirkuk?

The violence was sparked when a group of Kurdish demonstrators approached the camp on Saturday, police said. Warning shots were fired to force Kurdish protesters to disperse, as police forces were deployed to act as a buffer and keep rival groups apart.

Security officials and police in the city say they are investigating the circumstances of the death, including who opened fire. People from both protest groups were injured after stones were thrown and metal bars were used to attack, Kirkuk police said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani ordered a curfew in the city and "extensive security operations in areas affected by the unrest". He also called on "political parties, social organizations and community leaders to play their role in preventing strife and maintaining security, stability and order."

Ethnic tensions in northern Iraq

Kirkuk has historically been disputed between the federal government in Baghdad and authorities in the autonomous Kurdistan region in the north.

In 2014, the KDP and the peshmerga, the security forces of the Kurdistan region, took control of the Kirkuk region. However, federal troops expelled them in the fall of 2017 after a failed referendum on Kurdish independence.

Since Sudan took power last year, he has worked to improve relations between his government and the KDP. But Arab residents and minority groups who say they have suffered under Kurdish rule have protested the KDP's return.