Printer-friendly VersionBy Ako Muhammed
The Kurdish Globe
Protesters attempt to block the entrance of the Ninewa Governor as he attempts to enter Tilkaif for reasons condemned by the Brotherhood List.
Protesters carrying the Kurdish flag prevented Ninewa Governor Athil al-Nujaifi's visit to the multiethnic town of Tilkaif on Monday. The visit was an attempt to provoke the majority Kurdish inhabitants and the Governor's guards retained eight unarmed demonstrators, said a Kurdish official.
"As advice to al-Nujaifi, he shouldn't visit the area anymore, as the people are protesting against him," said Dilman Khatari, spokesman of the Ninewa Brotherhood list, which influences Kurdish and Christian towns in the province. He called on the federal and Kurdistan Regional governments to deliver the warning to the governor.
"People expect an official's visit to bring them welfare and services, not problems and tensions," Khatari explained to the "Globe" in a phone interview. The Governor's visit was for the purposes of countrywide parliamentary elections in March, said Khatari, adding that al-Nujaifi intends to cause tension in the area and to provoke its people--more than 90 percent of whom voted for the Kurdish leading Brotherhood list in the last provincial elections.
Tilkaif and 15 other administrative units of towns and sub-districts continue to boycott the local government of Ninewa since the provincial elections of January 2009. The boycott resulted when al-Nujaifi's Party--al-Hadbaa list, with 19 of Ninewa's 37 provincial seats--decided to run the local government alone. Ninewa Brotherhood, a list mainly of Kurdish parties and Christians, has 12 seats, and continuously demanded power sharing through allowing them key posts. The two parties have yet to get along, despite several attempts by Baghdad politicians.
Kurds in Ninewa interpret al-Nujaifi's actions to be that he "continuously stands against the 16 administrative units and against the Kurdish people in the province," said Khatari, who also chaired the Tilkaif municipality council for six years before the last local elections.
Visiting scenario
Carrying a Kurdish flag big enough to close the road entering Wanke sub-district, dozens of demonstrators stopped in front of the Governor's convoy. An American tank opened the crowd up so the Governor's vehicle could cross into the village; later, a number of helicopters were seen flying over. A video report also showed demonstrators in Tilkaif throwing stones, tomatoes and fruit at the passing Governor's vehicles.
"This place belongs to Kurdistan Region. It is a disputed area and has been protected by Peshmarga for several years. We never want al-Nujaifi come to our area," said a protestor-speaking Kurdish and Arabic-to Kurdistan TV.
Al-Nujaifi's convoy was able to pass through the protestors thanks to American backup, says Khatari, who cautioned that repeating the scenario might cause trouble between those forces with the Kurdish Peshmarga who are protecting disputed areas north of Mosul.
Tilkaif is located 10 kilometers north of Mosul and has a complicated ethnic and religious structure. Alqush, Fayda, and Wanke sub-districts belong to Tilkaif; all in all, over 170,000 people live in the four locations that are part of the so-called Ninewa flat--one of the disputed areas Kurdish leaders demand be given to Kurdistan Region within article 140 of the Iraqi constitution. Kurds, including Yazidi and Shabak sects, make the absolute majority in Alqush and Fayda, whereas Wanke is half Arab and half Kurd. In central Tilkaif, Kurds and Christian communities each make up nearly 25,000 people living together with 40,000 Arabs.
Nujaifi blames KDP
Al-Nujaifi blamed the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani, for hindering his visit, and said that the Kurdish Peshmarga had earlier ordered a state of curfew and for shops to be closed in Wanke.
"We visited Tilkaif town and Wana [Wanke] sub-district, and questioned the situations of those areas; this was the aim of the visit. Some [political] Party sides stopped in front of our convoy in more than one place. At Tilkaif's entrance, they prevented the entrance of our convoy under the protection of Kurdistan Region's flag," al-Nujaifi told reporters at his office in Mosul at the end of the visit.
Meanwhile, Khatari replied that the Peshmarga had no role in the riots, and that they permitted the Governor's mission to pass. But Kurdish officials didn't hide the involvement of the KDP, explaining that "people, after 2003, are free to support whichever party they want, the KDP or any other party? it is true people in the area support the KDP very much. This is not a crime that the people should be blamed for, but it is the right of their expression."
Eight protestors detained
Khatari said there were ongoing negotiations in Mosul for the release of eight protestors who were detained by the Governor's guards. "There are accusations about attempting to assassinate the Governor. We ask how unarmed people could do so," said Khatari, accusing the Governor's guards of "kidnapping" the eight and of opening fire over the protesters.