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Iraq + 1 more

ISHM: January 9 - 16, 2025

Attachments

Key Takeaways:

  • POLITICS: Major Agreements Signed During Sudani’s UK Visit; Despite Apparent Breakthrough, KRG Accuses Baghdad of Stealing Its Oil, Starving Its People – On January 12, the KRG accused the Iraqi federal government of preparing to unilaterally take control of oil and gas resources in disputed territories, without mentioning specific fields. The KRG described this as a violation of the Iraqi Constitution, citing failure to implement Article 140 concerning the status of disputed territories. This week, the KRG also appealed to foreign countries to intervene in disputes between Erbil and Baghdad over funding public sector salaries in the Kurdistan region, where long delays have fueled public discontent. At a meeting with a large group of ambassadors and consuls in Erbil on Thursday, a KRG spokesman charged that Baghdad has been trying to “starve” the people of Kurdistan by violating prior agreements. Last week, the spokesman warned the KRG may decide to boycott the federal government if the latter continued to ignore demands for regular and complete funding of the salaries. The KRG accusations came despite an apparent breakthrough in the closely related dispute over exporting Kurdistan’s crude oil. On January 13, the leaders of the Coordination Framework, after a visit by KRG President Nechirvan Barzani to Baghdad, agreed to support a government proposal to amend the federal budget law to offer Kurdistan better compensation for oil production and transportation costs. The issue has fueled budget disputes and blocked the resumption of oil exports via Turkey. On January 14, PM Sudani began an official visit to the UK, holding talks with King Charles and PM Keir Starmer. The two sides signed a landmark partnership and cooperation agreement focusing on trade, economic, and strategic collaboration, with a £12.3 billion trade and infrastructure package. Notable projects include British-led demining operations, rebuilding a major air force base, extensive water infrastructure development for irrigation, drinking, and wastewater management, a new 5G network by Vodafone, and initiatives to improve Iraq’s electric grid. The two sides also signed agreements or otherwise made commitments for cooperation on issues including counterterrorism, climate change and clean energy, educational exchanges, and illegal migration. In other developments, on January 13, the Taqaddum Party bloc said that it will boycott parliament meetings in response to the legislature’s failure to schedule a vote on amendments to the General Amnesty Law. On January 14, the provincial council of Dhi-Qar province voted to sack governor Murthadha al-Ibrahimi. more…
  • SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Foreign Nationals Face Deportation; Iraq Enhances Border Security Coordination With SDF, HTS – On January 15, Iraq’s Interior Ministry said it arrested 691 foreign nationals so far this year for violating the country’s residency regulations. The violators, who missed a grace period to correct their residency status by December 31, 2024, will be deported back to their home countries. The ministry urged businesses employing foreign nationals who are in the country illegally to help deport them or face legal consequences. On January 16, security sources in Ninewa said that Iraqi and Syrian forces have established a new joint coordination center to enhance security along the Iraqi-Syrian border in the Ninewa sector. Communication channels were established through this center with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as part of efforts to exchange information and coordinate operations to prevent the movement of terrorist groups across the border. In other developments, on January 10, Iraqi airstrike conducted in the Himrin Mountains killed ten ISIS militants, including the second most senior ISIS militant in the Kirkuk sector. On January 11, Iraqi authorities repatriated 710 Iraqi nationals comprising 191 households from al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria. more…
  • ECONOMY & CLIMATE: New Gas Project Launched; Government Approves New Measures For Dealing With Air Pollution; BP May Sign Kirkuk Deal Next Month – On January 10, Iraq’s Oil Minister laid the cornerstone for a new natural gas capture project at the Ratawi oil field with a target capacity of 50 million cubic feet per day (cf/d). The project represents an expedited component of a larger deal to produce 600 million cf/d of gas from five oil fields in southern Iraq as part of the Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP) that Iraq and TotalEnergies signed in July 2023. The expedited component is to be completed by the end of 2025. On January 13, the Iraqi Council of Ministers approved a set of recommendations from a special report on dealing with air pollution that the Environment Ministry was instructed to prepare last October. The approved recommendations included a number of immediate and medium – long term steps. In the short term, efforts will focus on enhancing the capacity of environmental directorates and rehabilitating air quality monitoring stations nationwide. The steps also include creating a national center for emission tracking, requiring polluting industries to install efficient emission control systems, and enhancing cooperation between environmental and security authorities to ensure consistent monitoring and closure of non-compliant activities. For the medium and long term, the government will focus on legislative reforms, health impact assessments, improved waste processing, and transitioning industries and services to cleaner fuels, among other plans. On January 14, Iraq’s North Oil Company and BP signed a memorandum of understanding to “evaluate the possibility of a full redevelopment” of four oil fields in Kirkuk. Iraq’s Oil Minister told reporters in London that the development deal will be larger than a major energy deal with TotalEnergies that is worth an estimated $27 billion, adding that the final deal could be signed next month. more…

For more background on most of the institutions, key actors, political parties, and locations mentioned in our takeaways or in the stories that follow, see the ISHM Reference Guide.