Kurdish leaders commemorate Badinan Anfal on 36th anniversary

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region’s top leaders on Sunday commemorated the 36th anniversary of the Baathist regime’s notorious Anfal campaign in the Badinan area, reiterating calls on the Iraqi government to compensate the families of the victims. 

“The Iraqi Supreme Criminal Court has declared Anfal as genocide, a war crime, and a crime against humanity. Therefore, we call on the Iraqi government to compensate the families of the victims in all aspects,” President Nechirvan Barzani said on X. “We must continue our efforts to recognize Anfal as genocide at the international level.” 

The Anfal campaign, named after the eighth surah in the Quran, was the codename for former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s genocide that killed around 182,000 Kurds. 

“The Kurdistan Region and its constitutional rights are the product of the pure souls, the blood of thousands of martyrs, tears of thousands of heartbroken mothers, Anfal, chemical attacks, and the struggle and sacrifices of Kurds,” President Barzani said, calling on people to defend the Region “despite all problems and conflicts.” 

While calling on Baghdad to compensate the families of the martyrs, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani affirmed that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will continue to assist the families. 

“The aim of these heinous crimes was to exterminate and genocide the Kurdish people, but the perpetrators of these massacres could not destroy the will and freedom-seeking desire of the Kurdish people,” he said. 

More than 5,000 people were killed during the Badinan phase of the campaign, and over 60,000 were displaced.

The Anfal campaign has been recognized by Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court as constituting genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Nonetheless, little has been done to compensate the survivors or the victims’ families, and the campaign is yet to be recognized as genocide by the majority of the international community.