IRAQI KURDISTAN: Read the team’s latest newsletter — Post-referendum situation and much more.

Facebook
Twitter
Email
WhatsApp
Print

CPTnet
23 November 2017
IRAQI KURDISTAN: Read the team’s latest newsletter — Post-referendum situation and much more.

Summer 2017

 
 

Iraqi Kurdistan

 
Iraqi Kurdistan‘s Referendum
The officials of Iraqi Kurdistan
held a referendum on September 25, 2017, to determine whether the
people of the currently autonomous region wanted to separate from Iraq
or not. The referendum angered the Iraqi government and neighbouring
countries. The majority of the people voted ”YES” in the referendum
but the reactions from Iraqi government and the rest of the neighbours
have been extremely outrageous for the people of Iraqi Kurdistan.

However, after the referendum took place the situation in Iraqi Kurdistan has drastically changed. The Iraqi government banned all international flights to and from Iraqi Kurdistan‘s
airports and threatened to take other serious measures including
sanctions. Various people from different sides gave many hateful
speeches which worried the Kurdistan‘s people
specifically people in Kirkuk and surrounding towns. Furthermore, both
the Turkish and Iranian governments moved their armies to the border of
Iraqi Kurdistan and conducted military drills
and together with the Iraqi army threatened to take over the
borderlands. Subsequently, the Iranian government closed its shared
border crossings with Iraqi Kurdistan and the Turkish government has claimed to close down its only border gate with Iraqi Kurdistan soon.

In a rapid attack on October 16-17, the Iraqi army alongside militia
groups took control over Kirkuk city and all other disputed areas under Kurdistan‘s forces control. Additionally, Kurdistan‘s
media propaganda has worsened the situation. These actions have caused
mass displacement of Kurdish and Sunni Arab families from the disputed
areas. Over 5 million people in both the disputed areas and Iraqi Kurdistan proper feel extremely uncertain about their future. The people of both Iraq and Kurdistan are asking all sides to stop all military advances and media propaganda to prevent war between Iraqi government and Iraqi Kurdistan. Following what had happened in disputed areas, the relationship between the Iraqi Kurdistan‘s
political parties has deteriorated rapidly. The party affiliated media
have started propaganda and accusatory campaigns against the other
parties which leads to a lot of chaos and uncertainty at the moment.
Many people worry that a civil war might break out.

The international community has stayed silent except for a strong condemnation and refusal of the Iraqi Kurdistan‘s referendum as well as sending out confusing messages which have deeply disappointed the people of disputed areas and Iraqi Kurdistan.

Christian Peacemaker Teams – Iraqi Kurdistan
(CPT) has written a more detailed reflection about the referendum and
the reactions of the Iraqi government, international community and
neighbouring countries, which you can read here.
Following the military actions that took place in Kirkuk and other
disputed areas, CPT has written a Call for peace mobilization, which you
can find here.
Furthermore, CPT helped create and co-signed a Statement of the Iraqi
Civil Society organizations calling for dialogue, which you might read here.

We will continue sharing updates and our perspectives regarding the current situation in Iraqi Kurdistan through our website and social media platforms.

Iraqi Kurdistan, post-referendum 
By: Kasia Protz

Photo from NRT TV.

A majority of people living in Iraqi Kurdistan have long expressed their desire to determine their future. Therefore, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) scheduled a referendum on independence to take place within Iraqi Kurdistan
as well as several outlying disputed territories. On the 25th of
September, an overwhelming majority voted for a separation from Iraq in
favor of an independent Kurdistan. The
referendum was not supported on the international level with United
States, European Union and the neighboring countries such as Iran and
Turkey strongly opposing it.  The Iraqi government opposed the
referendum as well. Read the full article here.

 

READ THE WHOLE NEWSLETTER HERE. Consider subscribing to receive the next one directly in your mailbox.

 

Categories

Read More Stories

An aerial view of Oak Flat lands, red stones and mountains under a blue sky with a layer of white clouds

Kill the sacred or stop the mine

At Oak Flat, the capitalist powers of destruction seem to want to play God – but how does one destroy all that sustains life in favour of scars of death?

A compilation of the logos of the undersigned organizations

Sekiz Yıllık Şiddet, Ayrımcılık, Tecrit ve Dışlanma

Mart 2016’da AB-Türkiye Mutabakaı’nın yayınlandığında, devletlerin mültecilerin haklarını koruma konusundaki uluslararası yükümlülüklerini tamamen göz ardı etmesi nedeniyle insan hakları grupları tarafından şiddetle kınanmıştı

A compilation of the logos of the undersigned organizations

Eight years of Violence, Discrimination, Segregation, and Exclusion 

On the eighth anniversary of the EU-Turkey Statement, we denounce Turkey and EU states’ consistent failure to uphold their international obligations with regard to migrants and refugees, and strengthen our joint commitment to challenge all official and unofficial policies that lead to the discrimination, segregation, and ultimately exclusion of migrants.

Skip to content