Tensions are rising in the village of Palkana in Kirkuk with the Iraqi army preventing Kurdish farmers from harvesting their wheat, after Arab settlers claimed to have a share in the produce and set up tents on the land in a bid to pressure the federal government into backing their claims.
Dler Ahmed, a Kurdish farmer in Palkana, has 15 dunams (1.5 hectares) of wheat ready for harvest, but Arab settlers and the Iraqi army are attempting to prevent him from collecting his crop.
Alongside worries of being unable to harvest his land, Ahmed now fears that settlers may set a year of his labor on fire.
“My biggest fear is someone burning my crop. It is a crime to burn this crop. They [Arab settlers] demand our land, and want to harvest it as if it is their property,” Ahmed said, noting that he has spent about $10,000 on his farmland.
The dispute between Arab settlers and Kurdish farmers dates back to the Baathist era. Land belonging to several disputed villages was taken away from Kurdish farmers by the Iraqi government in 1975 on the grounds that they were located in prohibited oil zones. Two years later, in 1977, under Decree No. 949 issued by the Baath Supreme Revolutionary Council, they were given to Arabs who were resettled in the area.
The Arabization of the province has been a historical flashpoint between Baghdad and the Kurds.
After 2003 and the fall of the Baath regime, Iraq began a policy of de-Arabization within the framework of Article 140 of the Constitution, which aims to reverse the demographic changes carried out by Saddam Hussein.
Recently, however, Kurds have complained that the policy of Arabization has been revived.
Jawhar Rahman, another Kurdish farmer from Palkana, showed official documents that his ancestors have lived in the village and owned the land for generations, complaining that the Arab settlers have no claim to the land.
“They have nothing here. They do not have a single dead relative buried here,” Rahman said.
“They say ‘you are weak and we are here seeking out a fight,’ nothing else,” he added, affirming that he would not give up his land for the settlers under any circumstance.
Shakhawan Abdullah, deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament, said on Saturday that Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani ordered the removal of the ban on Kurdish farmers. However, the farmers are still blocked from harvesting by Arab settlers setting up camp on their farmlands.
Some 60 Arabs from the al-Shammar tribe have set up tents in Palkana, claiming to be residents of the village and having a share in the farms.
The Kurdish farmers fear that accepting the Arab settlers’ demands might spread the Arabization of more Kurdish land.
“Palkana is a very strong front. If they [Arab settlers] take over it, God forbid, they will take over all the land between the Great Zab and the Little Zab rivers, and will Arabize all of it” said Mohammed Amin, a representative of Kurdish farmers in Palkana.
“They demand all the lands and want to take it all. We are not willing to give up a single grain of wheat or a piece of land with our concern,” he added.
On Wednesday, a delegation from the Iraqi parliament headed by deputy speaker Abdullah arrived in Kirkuk to meet with the Arab tribes in order to resolve the issue.
Abdullah told reporters last week that he raised the issue of Kurdish farmers in Palkana with Sudani, saying that the only solution to the issue is the amendment of the current property law and the dissolution of decrees issued by the Baath Supreme Revolutionary Council decades ago.
A Kurdish official said last month that over 92,000 Arabs had been relocated to Kirkuk since 2017, urging Kurdish political leaders to work to stop what he called “new Arabization.”
