Kirkuk governor concerned about ethnic balance and IDPs

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Governor of Kirkuk, the highly contested, multi-ethnic and oil-rich city, expressed his concern on Monday about the instability that might arise from the ethnic imbalance caused by IDPs.

A majority of the displaced people from the city of Tikrit who have been sheltering in Kirkuk Province are not returning home although their city has been cleared from the threat of the Islamic State (IS).

Seventy percent of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Tikrit in Salahadin Province still live in Kirkuk.

Despite the Iraqi government’s announcement that the town has been cleared of mines and explosives planted by IS extremists, the civilians refuse to return.

In his visit to Kirkuk, the Governor of Salahadin stated that the local administration had approved a decision regarding the IDPs to return.

He also mentioned that the families have been given the option to stay in Kirkuk.

On Sunday, members of Salahadin Provincial Council visited Kirkuk to convince the city administration to give the IDPs more time to remain in the province which is protected by Peshmerga forces.

Following a meeting with Kirkuk’s officials, Deputy Governor of Salahadin Ahmed Azawi spoke to reporters about the IDPs’ situation.

“The governor of Kirkuk has promised that the IDPs from Tikrit can safely remain in Kirkuk until their city, and surrounding areas are fully cleared,” he stated.

However, the Governor of Kirkuk Najmaddin Kareem said in a press conference on Sunday that after the liberation of any area from IS and their explosives, IDPs should return home.

“In Kirkuk, we fear that if IDPs remain for a long time, the demography of the city might change,” Kareem explained. “We will not allow this to happen.”

Nearly half-a-million IDPs from central Iraq had fled to Kirkuk since June 2014 when IS insurgents occupied a third of the country.

Editing by Ava Homa and Karzan Sulaivany