10/12/2020 Iraq (International Christian Concern) – After receiving criticism for failing to reveal any details following Friday’s announcement of a deal between the Iraq Central Government (ICG) and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the content has finally been released. It has not been completely welcome by Nineveh residents.
Today, a protest was held on the basis that Yazidis were not consulted as part of this deal, even though it impacts them directly. It confirms the fear that the destiny of the disputed territories is the hands of external players (the ICG and KRG) rather than those who actually live there. For example, the text of the deal says that administrative positions will be evaluated by the joint committee formed by the two sides after appointing the mayor. It does not say that the locals will have a voice in this committee.
On the other hand, many in Nineveh are exhausted by the constant bickering between the KRG and ICG over who controls this territory. There is hope that the deal in Sinjar will normalize relations, or at least create some type of structure that reduces the disputed status of the territory. In that sense, there is hope that this deal will serve as the first step in creating some type of model that can be applied throughout the rest of the territory. But as today’s protests show, the model needs editing.
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