2024 Census Will Determine Identity of Kirkuk & Kurdistani Regions

Reports 01:36 PM - 2024-11-10

Kurdistani regions.

The national census in Iraq is set for November 20, 2024, and both Kirkuk and the Kurdish territories outside the Kurdistan Region hold significant implications for the Kurds. For almost seventy-five years, the Iraqi government has endeavoured to alter the demographics and geography of Kirkuk and its surrounding areas, peaking during the tenure of the defunct Ba'ath regime.

A member of the census coordination in Kirkuk said: "This census is crucial for the Kurds and the future of Kirkuk and the Kurdistani regions outside the Kurdistan Region. The true identity of these regions depends on the presence of the Kurds in their locals."

Avesta Sheikh Mohammed, a member of the census coordination in Kirkuk, told PUKMEDIA: "This census is crucial, particularly in the disputed areas and specifically in Kirkuk. All Kirkuk residents currently residing outside the city for any reason must bring their documentation to Kirkuk for registration by the census teams."

Kirkukis who don't register in Kirkuk will be deprived of privileges

"Another significant component of the census for Kirkukis residing outside Kirkuk is that if they are not registered in Kirkuk, they would unequivocally forfeit the right of being a Kirkuki and will not have the privilege for employment opportunities, food rations, and any advantages associated with being a resident of Kirkuk," Mohammed said.

This census will end the 1957 census

He further stated, "We have to think more carefully that this is a significant national concern. Thousands of martyrs have been given for Kirkuk, with individuals from different parts of Kurdistan also giving their lives for this city. The census and registration in Kirkuk by the Kirkuk people is nothing less than that struggle and sacrifice."

Adding: "Kirkuk is a Kurdish city with a predominantly Kurdish population. Consequently, we must prove the Kurdish identity of Kirkuk in this census to prevent any discourse over the majority and minority status of ethnic groups in the area. This census will end the 1957 census, and the 2024 census will be implemented."

Article 140 might cause great harm to Kirkukis 

Moreover, Mohammed said: "If Kurds were a minority in the census, implementation of Article 140 will cause great harm to the Kirkuk people and will be a threat to the Kurds. I am confident that the Kurds will constitute the majority in Kirkuk, as Kirkuk is a Kurdish city, and the Kurdish majority in the region aligns with the execution of Article 140. 

"We urge all residents of Kirkuk to return and register their names in this census, as the decline in the Kurdish population will jeopardise Kirkuk's Kurdish identity," he added.

Kirkuk is part of the areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad. Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution was largely drafted to address the issue of the disputed areas. The disputed areas stretch across the provinces of Diyala, Kirkuk, Nineveh, and Saladin, where the former Iraqi Ba'ath regime made great efforts to Arabise the population, which was the cause of these disputes.

In a historic appeal on February 9, 2004, attended by members of the Iraqi Governing Council in Kirkuk, President Mam Jalal reaffirmed the Kurdish identity of Kirkuk with a map of the Ottoman period. The participation of Kirkukis in the 2024 census is a completion of Mam Jalal's historic appeal. 



PUKMEDIA