ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) official on Monday warned of demographic changes in the disputed Kurdish-majority city of Khanaqin in eastern Diyala province, calling them a “clear constitutional violation” - but also pointed blame at Kurdish parties for failing to protect the city's status.
Fahmi Burhan, chairman of the General Board for Kurdistani Areas Outside the KRG Administration, told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman that Arab incomers are “increasingly buying land and orchards” in Khanaqin and that “sub-districts are being administratively separated from the city and elevated to full district status,” encroaching on the city center.
Importantly, he clarified that the issue does not concern “Arab brothers who are indigenous to Khanaqin, but those being brought into the area outside the framework of Article 140 of the constitution,” which calls for restoring original residents to their hometown registries.
The board Burhan oversees advocates for the implementation of Article 140, which governs the status of disputed territories between the federal government in Baghdad and the KRG, including areas like Khanaqin and other parts of Diyala, Kirkuk, Nineveh, and Salahaddin provinces.
According to the KRG official, Kurdish-speaking residents of Khanaqin are being prevented from using Kurdish in government offices, calling it "a dangerous indicator." He further noted that “the issue is not entirely on Baghdad's shoulders - we share in it, too," criticizing Kurdish parties representing Khanaqin in federal institutions for falling short.
Burhan's remarks came as Kurdish parties put off a planned mass demonstration in Khanaqin against what they describe as the city's "Arabization," citing inadequate security arrangements and demanding the release of detainees and the withdrawal of arrest warrants against activists, political figures, and youths who had intended to take part.
Rudaw's correspondent in the city, Hunar Hamid, reported Monday that arrest warrants had been issued for 20 individuals, with several already detained. Salam Abdullah, a member of the protest organizing committee, also told Rudaw that "two people have been arrested, and there are rumors of arrest warrants for several others."
The postponement also comes amid reports that federal authorities are working to address Kurdish grievances in Khanaqin.
