SULAIMANIYAH, Kurdistan-Iraq, 30
May ,-- Kurds, Turcomans and Christians from Kurdistan (northern
Iraq) have established independent organisations that aim to reduce
the influence of sectarian militias operating in the area.
Two of the organisations are the mixed Peace Union for Iraqis (PUI)
and the Kurdish Autonomous Freedom Organisation (KAFO).
"Iraqis in the region have begun to unite, without consideration of
ethnic background, to prevent sectarian violence from spreading,"
said PUI member Dorah Muhammad, 38, from a village in northern
Kurdistan near the Turkish border. "And we're asking the government
to take action to clamp down on the militias."
The newly-formed organisations, whose members include politicians
and civil society activists, aim to inform the public that ethnic
strife will only serve to delay national unification and
development. One way they hope to do this is by reaching out to
school children by offering lessons and presentations on human
rights and coexistence.
The initiatives come in the wake of recent fighting on the Turkish
side of the border between the Turkish military and dissident
Kurdish groups.
"Militias have hijacked the peace ever since they began fighting
across the border with the Turkish Army, which is looking to protect
itself from insurgents inside Iraq," said Dorah. "In the end,
though, this only caused more internal conflict."
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is working in partnership
with the local community on the issue, in an effort to prevent an
escalation of sectarian violence between Iraqi Kurds and ethnic
Arabs.
"We will not allow ethnic differences to destroy security in
Kurdistan," said senior KRG official Kalif Dirar. "And we'll do
whatever is required to continue being the safest place in this
country."
According to Dirar, the semi-autonomous Kurdistan government is
working with residents to disband the militias currently
contributing to the tension on the borders with Iran and Turkey.
"The local people are aware of the dangers of sectarian
differences," he said. "They're united to fight this problem."
Many Sunni and Shi'ite Arabs in Kurdistan have also joined the
cause. In the northern Kurdish city of Kirkuk, however, such
proposals have met with less success, due to ethnic tension arising
from the outstanding land disputes that resulted from the "Arabisation"
programme of former president Saddam Hussein.
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