Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha announced on Monday his commitment to resolving the ongoing land disputes between Kurdish farmers and Arab settlers "according to the law," advocating for a long-awaited land restitution bill in the Iraqi parliament that would address the historic grievances of the region.

The dispute escalated last Saturday when Kurdish farmers in Kirkuk’s Sargaran area accused Arab settlers of blocking access to their farmland. The incident follows months of tensions, including a prior incident where Kurdish farmers were barred from harvesting their crops, necessitating intervention from Baghdad.

“We want to solve the problem in that area … in a way that the law is implemented,” Governor Taha said, pledging impartiality based on legal rights. He described the issue as a “chronic disease” stemming from decades of unresolved claims and contested ownership.

Land conflicts between Arab settlers and Kurdish farmers in Kirkuk trace back to the 1970s, during Iraq's Baathist era. In 1975, the government confiscated Kurdish farmlands, claiming they were located in restricted oil zones. By 1977, Decree No. 949, issued by the Baath Supreme Revolutionary Court, transferred these lands to Arab families relocated from other parts of Iraq as part of an Arabization campaign.

Kurdish lawmakers have since drafted a bill aimed at restoring lands taken by the Baath regime to their original Kurdish and Turkmen owners. The bill is one of three key legislative items expected to be addressed soon by the Iraqi parliament.

Governor Taha expressed frustration with the slow progress in parliament, noting that “obstacles” remain. He believes the passage of the bill would benefit “all the [ethnic] components of Kirkuk,” and acknowledged that the unresolved disputes have created administrative challenges, hindering local service initiatives.

In May, tensions erupted in the village of Palkana when Arab settlers prevented Kurdish farmers from harvesting their crops, citing ownership documents from the Baathist era. The Iraqi government responded by dispatching a delegation to allow farmers to complete the harvest.

The land dispute in Kirkuk is part of a broader issue in Iraq’s disputed territories, including Diyala, Nineveh, and Salahaddin. Under Saddam Hussein’s rule, Kurdish residents were displaced from these areas, their lands reassigned to Arab settlers. Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution prescribes a process to address these disputes, including compensation for Arab settlers and returning land to displaced Kurdish owners. Despite its inclusion in the constitution, Article 140 remains largely unimplemented, leaving many issues unresolved.

Governor Taha reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to a legal and just resolution, stating, “We will side with who has the right according to the law.”