ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish leaders and foreign dignitaries in the Kurdistan Region issued their condolences in remembrance of the 32nd anniversary of the Halabja chemical attack via statements on Monday. However, no events of commemoration were held due to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) coronavirus lockdown.
A monument with the Kurdish flag flying on top commemorates some 5,000 Iraqi Kurds, mostly women and children, killed on March 16, 1988 when deadly gas was released on Halabja in the mountains of northeastern Iraq. The event, which was recognized as an act of genocide by Iraq's High Court in 2010, has left a permanent scar in the historical memory of the Kurdish people.
Nuxsha Nasih, the mayor of Halabja, visited the memorial site for the chemical attack in the city with a small vigil on Monday.
“We must also remember the importance of the unity and solidarity that have enabled Kurdistanis to overcome so many hardships,” said KRG prime minister Masrour Barzani in a statement.32 years ago, More than 5,000 Kurds were killed by Saddam Hussein. The bombing was one of many horrific crimes committed against the people of Kurdistan, What the fascist Saddam regime tried on Halabja was just another instance of Hitler’s fascism, the Nagasaki atomic bombardment pic.twitter.com/CsTk9SbrJN
— Heyva Sor a Kurdistane UK (@HeyvasorUK) March 16, 2020
President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani acknowledged the continued trauma of the massacre for the community in Halabja on Monday.
Thousands of men, women and children were executed by Saddam Hussein's regime during a systematic effort lasting throughout the late 1980s to exterminate the Kurdish population in Iraq. During what was known as the Anfal Campaign, Kurdish villagers were rounded up, tied together, and shot as they fell into mass graves that Saddam's soldiers had dug. Kurdish towns and villages were targeted by chemical weapons, the most horrifying of which was in Halabja — where more than 10,000 people were sprayed with mustard gas.
“The horrors of the horrendous attack still haunt the survivors and their families, who bear the physical and emotional scars up till the present time. The chemical attack continues to have a devastating impact on the environment of the city and its neighboring areas,” his statement reads.
Mohammed Halbousi, speaker of the Iraqi parliament, described Halabja as “resistant,” and praised its people for “rebuilding [the city] 32 years after the massacre.”Today, 32 years on from the tragedy of the chemical attack on Halabja, we remember the martyrs and our thoughts are with their families. We must also remember the importance of the unity and solidarity that have enabled Kurdistanis to overcome so many hardships.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrour_barzani) March 16, 2020
The Kurdistan Regional Government marks each year March 16th as Halabja Day, as well as April 14th as the commemoration of Anfal genocide campaign against the Kurds in 1988.
Several foreign envoys and offices also sent their annual condolences.
“The #Halabja attack on this day in 1988 was a crime of monstrous proportions, made even more heinous by the use of chemical weapons,” tweeted the UK consulate general.
The US consulate said in a tweet that they “honor the memories of the husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters who perished in Halabja.”
Several foreign diplomats in the Kurdistan region as well as abroad sent condolences over the Halabja anniversary. The commemoration of the chemical attack comes during the region’s attempt to halt the novel coronavirus. The government announced a five-day lockdown in both Sulaimani and Erbil, as well as the cancellation of all collective gatherings, including Newroz.Today marks 32nd annivers. of the massacre of 5,000 innocent civilians in #Halabja, with another 10,000 people injured during chemical weapons attack. On this solemn day, we honor the memories of the husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters who perished in Halabja. pic.twitter.com/tNVpWPJGmb
— U.S. Consulate General Erbil (@USConGenErbil) March 16, 2020
The Consul General of Greece in Erbil, Efthymios Costopoulos, who visited the commemoration in person in Halabja laste year, wrote on Twitter that he regretted not being able to attend this year due to the restrictions taken to contain the coronavirus outbreak, adding: "Our hearts and our thoughts are in Halabja. We should never forget this tragedy and the horrors suffered by thousands of innocent victims."
Many world governments have been accused of tacitly allowing Hussein’s regime to acquire the agents used in the Halabja chemical attack. The global outcry over the use of chemical weapons in Iraq during the Anfal campaign led to momentum that saw the United States and then Soviet Union to commit to abandoning their chemical weapons stockpile, and eventually led to the signing of the Chemical Weapons Convention in January 1993.On 16th March 1988 the Baath regime attacked the Kurdish population in #Halabja with chemical weapons. So many innocent children, women and men were killed and wounded by this barbaric act. We remember the victims and condemn the use of chemical weapons. pic.twitter.com/AL7LeRESMA
— German Consulate Erbil (@GermanyInKRI) March 16, 2020
Thirty-four cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Region as of Monday evening.
