Baghdad, Iraq – Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has approved measures to resolve land disputes in the Sargaran subdistrict northwest of Kirkuk, allowing Kurdish farmers to cultivate lands that had previously been confiscated.
According to Mohammed Amin, the farmers had proposed several solutions, which Sudani approved. The decision follows weeks of rising tensions, particularly after Iraqi security forces forcibly barred Kurdish farmers from accessing their lands in mid-February.
The disputed lands had been seized during the Baath era and granted to Arab settlers as part of efforts to alter the region’s demographics, especially in oil-rich Kirkuk.
Footage from the February clashes, showed Iraqi security forces physically preventing Kurdish farmers from entering their farmland. The viral video also captured an Iraqi officer trying to forcibly remove Amin from his tractor.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Iraqi officials condemned the crackdown, prompting Sudani to form a special committee to investigate the incident.
On Sunday, Iraqi Justice Minister Khalid Shwani met with Amin and confirmed that Sudani had endorsed the committee’s recommendations, effectively resolving the issue and allowing Kurdish farmers to resume cultivation.
In February, the Iraqi presidency ratified the land restitution law, designed to return lands confiscated under the Baath regime to their rightful owners. The law applies to 300,000 dunams of land belonging to Kurdish and Turkmen communities in Kirkuk and other disputed areas.
The Sargaran subdistrict includes 42 villages, with five at the center of the dispute:
• Shanagha
• Pelkana
• Sarbashakh
• Gabaraka
• Kharaba
Shakhawan Abdullah, Iraq’s Second Deputy of the Parliament Speaker, stated in February that following the presidency’s ratification, there were “no longer any obstacles” to implementing the law, paving the way for Kurdish and Turkmen farmers to reclaim their lands.
