Kurdish farmers protest land seizure attempts in Iraq's Saladin

Shafaq News – Tuz Khurmatu

Dozens of Kurdish farmers protested on Wednesday in the village of Taba Suze in eastern Saladin province, accusing authorities of trying to seize their agricultural lands for Arab families.

The roots of the dispute, as in other areas such as Kirkuk, Khanaqin, and Makhmour, trace back to the former regime’s Arabization policies of the 1970s and 1980s. Thousands of Kurdish families were displaced and their lands reallocated to Arab families, often with official ownership deeds.

Ako Khurshid, a local farmer, told Shafaq News that the lands have belonged to Kurdish residents for decades, but repeated attempts have been made to confiscate them under an official cover. He added that “the involvement of the army has only complicated the issue instead of resolving it.”

Another protester, Pishtwan Mohammed, explained that the villagers had taken to the streets peacefully to demand protection of their land and an end to “encroachments,” warning that “the people’s patience is running out, and if the government does not act quickly, the situation could spiral out of control.”

Following the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution outlined a mechanism to resolve these disputes by mandating a three-step process: normalization to reverse the demographic changes, a fair census, and a referendum allowing residents to decide whether they wish to remain under federal jurisdiction or join the Kurdistan Region.

However, delays in implementation have left legal and administrative conflicts unresolved. Kurdish farmers continue to rely on their pre-Arabization ownership documents, while Arab families cite official deeds issued during the Baathist era.