PUK leader Bafel Talabani eyes re-uniting with Gorran
On the anniversary of Nawshirwan Mustafa's death, Talabani said: "I take this opportunity to let everyone know that the PUK is ready to work toward a new accord and reunification with Gorran."
Here is the full statement:
In remembrance of Mr. Mustafa, a founding member of the PUK and a close friend of President Mam Jalal, I bend my head in devotion to his pure legacy and honor this mournful occasion in a dignified manner.
Mr. Mustafa was an intellectual, a Kurdish politician, and a leader of the new revolution. He represented a new school of thought, intellectualism, bravery, and organizational charisma that was instrumental in the advancement of the Kurdish struggle throughout all of its stages and played a crucial role in the armed uprising of our people.
I would like to add that: in addition to being a father to his own children, Mr. Mustafa also served as a father figure to the vast majority of Kurds.
I want to speak for Gorran now more than ever. If a large mountain, like Mr. Mustafa, represents your past and who you are today, there is hope for the future. This should motivate us to make more significant progress.
When a father like Mr. Mustafa, who was a mountain of courage and safety against the storm, brought peace via his shadow and tranquility via his thoughts, dies, it is painful to lose him. However, his belief serves as motivation to keep going.
Because Mr. Qubad and I felt the grief of fatherlessness, I can relate to Gorran and his descendants' suffering.
I am hopeful that Gorran and PUK will be that mountain for our nation because everyone knows that President Mam Jalal and Mr. Mustafa were very close in their last political project and step of their lives to the point of unity and took significant steps.
I take this opportunity to let everyone know that the PUK is ready to work toward a new accord and reunification with Gorran.
Without a doubt, we can achieve Mam and Mr. Mustafa's goals and dreams and complete them together.
This is the proper strategy for achieving both national and Kurdish objectives.
A thousand salutations to Mr. Mustafa's soul and the souls of all the martyrs and warriors on the path to liberation.
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The Semalka border crossing, between Iraq's Kurdistan Region (KRI) and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), is now shut indefinitely as extended deadline for KRI residency holders, staff of foreign NGOs, and foreign journalists to cross from Syria into Iraq expired on Saturday.
Earlier, the Rojava Information Center (RIC), a pro-AANES outlet, said the closure follows unsuccessful US efforts to reopen the crossing.
The crossing is the only one between AANES and its neighbors, as neither Turkey nor the Syrian government maintain any connections with the self-governed administration.
KRI border officials attribute the shutdown to weapons and ammunition transfers from Syria to Iraq by the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), as per a statement shared with the pro-KDP Kurdistan 24. The PYD denies these allegations and states it is unclear about the actual reasons behind the closure.
Earlier reports suggested that the closure was due to the AANES authorities barring the Kurdish National Council (KNC/ENKS), a KDP-backed coalition in Syria, from crossing over to attend the Barzani National Memorial inauguration.
Hosted by KDP leader Masoud Barzani in Barzan, Erbil province, the memorial was dedicated to his late father, Mustafa Barzani, marking Barzani's most prominent appearance since the ill-fated referendum of 2017, with guests and delegates from Iraq and other countries.
RIC warned that the closure will negatively impact NES economically and humanitarianly and exacerbate strained NES-KRI diplomatic relations.
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While we are covering the tensions in Makhmour refugee camp, here is some fresh data from the KRG on IDPs and refugees who live the Kurdistan Region:
According to the KRG, only 30% of IDPs and refugees live in the 36 camps of the KRI, the rest, 70% live outside of camps. 41% of the total displaced population live in Erbil, 40% in Duhok, and 19% in Sulaymaniyah.
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The AFP reports that the Iraqi army is preparing to tighten the federal government's grip on a camp housing Turkish Kurdish refugees that Ankara has called an "incubator for terrorism."
Citing a senior Iraqi official, the AFP says the plans have sparked protests by residents of the Makhmur camp, which currently has its own administration and armed camp guards.
"The army plans to establish a perimeter fence with a (single) entrance to secure the camp," a senior security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The aim is to "regulate the movements" of camp residents, the official said, pointing to "security issues" concerning the presence of "PKK families" in the camp.
Iraqi Kurdish official Rashad Kalali said "camp residents demonstrated against the army's plans".
"The Iraqi army wants to build a perimeter fence with a single entrance and confiscate weapons" held by camp residents, said Kalali, a local leader of the Iraqi Kurds' second largest party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
The camp, in an area of northern Iraq under federal control, was established with UN support in 1998 to host an influx of refugees from the Turkish army's scorched earth campaign against villages suspected of supporting the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
It has become a bugbear for Ankara which regards it as a recruiting ground for the PKK in its deadly four-decade insurgency against the Turkish state.
The move by the Iraqi army comes after repeated threats by Ankara over the years to secure the camp itself if necessary.
During a major military operation in northern Iraq in 2021, the Turkish military carried out air strikes that killed several camp officials it identified as PKK leaders.
"We will not allow the gruesome separatist organisation (the PKK) to use Makhmur as an incubator for terrorism," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the time. "We will continue to exterminate terrorism at its source."
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Executive Council of the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK), a Brussels-based coalition of organisations formed by exiled Kurds in Europe, has just issued this statement calling on the UN to stop the Iraqi Army's " aggression against the Kurdish refugees in Makhmour"
Urgent Call to UNHCR to stop Iraqi Army’s aggression against the Kurdish refugees in Makhmour
This morning the Iraqi Armed Forces surrounded the UNHCR Makhmour (Mexmur) Refugee Camp with tens of armoured vehicles, special forces and police personnel, and barbed wire fences.
Over two decades after being forced from their homes in 1994 in North Kurdistan (Turkey), the people of the Mexmur Camp are forced to endure new threats and challenges.
Since its establishment, this civilian refugee camp has been a perpetual target of the Turkish state. Turkish warplanes and drones (including armed drones) often fly above the camp, terrorising the refugees of Mexmur and leaving them to wonder when the next attack will come. The stated goal of the Turkish state, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and his AKP-MHP regime, has always been the destruction of the camp and the elimination or dispersal of its residents. The full might of Turkey’s modern military is used against this refugee camp, and it has also been regularly attacked by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of Iraq, which cooperates closely with the Turkish regime.
What the Turkish state could not achieve, the Iraqi government is now aiming to accomplish.
The Mexmur Camp, home to approximately 11,000 people including thousands of children born into statelessness, is officially under the authority of UNHCR. Unfortunately, however, the agency’s silence and inaction following threats and attacks against the camp show it to be more aligned with the ruling parties of the region than with its stated mission of saving the lives and protecting the rights of refugees.
UNHCR has the responsibility and the diplomatic and political means to stop Iraq, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the agency to enhance the protection of refugees in 2016, from violating the rights of the Mexmur refugees and must intervene immediately to save the lives of people whose homes in exile have now been surrounded by the Iraqi Armed Forces. This unwarranted, aggressive action by Iraq against a large civilian population coupled with the Iraqi security forces’ dismal human rights record is cause for serious concern, and immediate intervention is imperative.
In order to prevent any escalation that could endanger the lives of thousands of refugees, UNHCR must immediately intervene to protect the people of the Mexmur Camp.
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IRGC warns of resumption in Kurdistan border strikes
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Full letter by the sons of Nawshirwan Mustafa on the anniversary of his death
In the name of God, the Almighty, the Most Merciful,
Dear citizens and supporters of Gorran,
As we mark the sixth anniversary of the passing of the late Nawshirwan Mustafa, it is clear that the living conditions of our people and the state of governance in the Kurdistan Region have sadly deteriorated over the past six years. Concurrently, the Gorran Movement has seen setbacks.
On this solemn occasion, we eschew evasion and downplaying of faults. Instead, we take the lead in admitting to our esteemed nation: Yes, following the death of our leader, we have made significant mistakes on several fronts. One of the invaluable lessons from our late father was acknowledging mistakes without defensiveness, dedicating his life to rectifying them and averting their recurrence.
We learned from our father that as part of this nation, we should always be transparent with you and never distance ourselves from you.
These mistakes led to the justified punishment of our movement by the committed supporters and conscientious voters of Gorran, so that it can restructure and once again serve as the bulwark and protector of the Kurdish people.
We are confident that had our late father been alive, the lives of the people, the struggle, the march of Gorran, and the organizational life of the movement would have remained intimately tied to the citizens and the streets: Gorran's heartbeat would have been in synchrony with that of the street.
On this day, we, the sons of Nawshirwan Mustafa, seize the opportunity to sincerely apologize to our selfless and sacrificing people for any pain we may have inadvertently caused. We also ask forgiveness from the pure spirit of our father for any errors we may have committed.
Furthermore, acknowledging that every activist has the right to voice their opinions and suggestions according to the internal constitution of the movement, we put forward the following recommendations:
The decision of the National and General Councils to reconcile and reorganize Gorran should be implemented promptly. All comrades who have dedicated ten years of their lives to Gorran should be approached and invited to return to the movement.
We acknowledge that many Gorran supporters are currently uneasy about the movement's decision-making and management processes. As such, any actions taken without the input and consent of the majority of activists and voters risk further undermining Gorran, and we must prevent this.
We believe that those currently leading Gorran bear the primary responsibility to execute the decision for reconciliation and reorganization as part of the movement's leadership.- At this stage, the needs of Gorran and the wishes of its supporters necessitate that the National Council establish an interim committee. This committee should consist of present members of the Gorran Movement, some of Gorran's government team, and distinguished, capable, and loyal activists who are accepted by the people, Gorran supporters, and activists of the movement not currently active.
This committee will possess the authority to work alongside institutions, particularly the General Council and the National Council, to manage the organizational and political life of the Gorran Movement. This includes making decisions on Gorran's involvement in the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Kurdistan Parliament, local government, national conference, financial and media policy, political and diplomatic relations, and the forthcoming elections. We presented a roadmap to implement this step in a letter read to the conference preparatory committee and both councils several months ago. - We believe that our shared goal of revitalizing and strengthening the Gorran Movement is so profoundly important that it warrants all conceivable sacrifices. This calls upon us, the sons of Nawshirwan Mustafa, along with the esteemed comrades presently steering Gorran and those serving in the KRG, to support and respect the decisions laid out in the previous point.
Let us then, in unison, implore our citizens and Gorran advocates to entrust the impending phase of our movement to the comrades who will bear its responsibility, collaboratively striving to ensure the success of our collective efforts. It is abundantly clear to us all that in the absence of our late leader Nawshirwan Mustafa and the setback of the Gorran Movement, the conditions of the Kurdistan Region and its citizenry have deteriorated rather than improved. - We assert that the current state of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq necessitates that our citizens and Gorran supporters place reconciliation and accountability at the heart of our efforts to address and resolve the forthcoming challenges. We must acknowledge that past tendencies towards conflict, retribution, and self-interest have caused considerable harm to our nation. Let us now renounce this toxic legacy.
To this end, we direct our message to our esteemed and loyal comrades presently at home, saying: If previously you were accountable for the Hill [Gorran Headquarters], from today onwards, you should assume the responsibility for this new phase. No longer mere observers, you must become actively engaged, initiating and promoting the reconciliation process, devising and implementing future strategies, strengthening the movement, and restoring hope to our people.
We once again affirm with utter clarity and insistence that our father's decree was that as long as Gorran remains the people's vanguard and the fortress of Gorran's supporters, no individual has the right to exploit it for personal gains. The experiences of the past six years have borne out this truth, and will continue to do so in the future.
Our father's vision involved the establishment of cultural, research, and educational institutions on the Hill to educate future generations. His untimely demise deprived him of the chance to fulfill this aspiration. As the sons of Nawshirwan Mustafa, we consider it our duty to see this dream realized.
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Hemorrhagic fever in Iraq
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Kirkuk gas pipe explosion
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Footage from Makhmour
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Election could be held in three weeks – Saadi Ahmed Pira
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Iraqi forces try to 'seize' Makhmour Camp
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NRT English spoke to Omar Gulpi, one of Komal's seven members of parliament who are resigning. He claimed that their party is still adamant about leaving the parliament, even without a vote on their resignation. "The parliament will meet again on Monday, and the resignation of our MPs will be on the agenda," Gulpi said.
The Kurdistan Regional Parliament extended its term by an extra year in October 2022, a session that was boycotted by opposition parties, including Komal. "At the time of the extension, we decided to boycott the parliament. Now, we have taken an extra step and have offered our resignation from the parliament. This has nothing to do with the PUK or any other party," Gulpi said.
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Lahur: New social contract needed between politicians and citizens
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- According to media reports, yesterday’s meeting between the KDP’s and the PUK’s Election Teams didn't result in any concrete agreements. A second meeting between KDP and PUK’s Politburos is scheduled for Sunday.
- Last night, a gas pipeline owned by the North Oil Company exploded in Kirkuk. The Kirkuk Civil Defense Forces swiftly controlled the resulting fire. The cause and the impact of the explosion remain unclear.
- A large presence of Iraqi forces has been observed near the Makhmour refugee camp. Sources close to the PKK allege that the objective is to erect a fence around the camp. The government has not released any official statements yet.
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