Proposals for Assyrian autonomy in Iraq

Assyrian villages in northern Iraq today.

Throughout history there were few proposals for the establishment of an autonomy or an independent state for the Syriac-speaking Assyrians in northern Iraq.

Historical proposals

Urmia Manifesto of the United Free Assyria, 1917

Current proposals

The Nineveh plains within Nineveh province

19th governorate

Currently, two major Assyrian parties (Assyrian Democratic Movement and Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council) call for a creation of a 19th governorate which will incorporate Shekhan, Al-Hamdaniya and Tel Keppe districts of Ninawa Governorate. This proposal is pushed by two above mentioned parties as a new governorate for all minorities living there. Various estimates say that new province population will have the following ethno-religious makeup:

Ethnic groups	Religion	Language	% (estimation)
Assyrians	Syriac Christianity	Syriac	40–45
Shabaki	Shabakism	Kurdish	10-15
Yazidi	Yazidism	Kurmanji (Shengali)	35–40
Others (Sunni Kurds, Sunni-Arabs)			up to 10

Support – The proposal has been backed by the majority of Shia Arabs and Kurdish parties.

Jalal Talabani, President of Iraq^[1]
Democratic Patriotic Alliance of Kurdistan^[2]
Sadrist Members of Parliament block^[3]
Islamic Dawa Party block of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki^[3]

Some foreign governments and political parties have also weighed in on the issue:

The Swedish political party Folkpartiet declared full support of an Assyrian administration by means of activating Article 125.^[4]

Oppose – It has been opposed by Sunni Arabs who make up the majority of the city of Mosul.

Al-Hadba^[5]
Justice and Reform Movement (Sunni Arab)^[6]

Assyrian Administrative Region

Some Assyrian organizations also call for a creation of an Assyrian Administrative Region in Northern Iraq, which would include the following districts:^[7]

Ninawa Governorate

Dohuk Governorate

Semel

Incorporation with Kurdistan region

Many Kurdish politicians have publicly come out in support of annexing the area to the Kurdistan Regional Government as their fourth governorate (after Dohuk, Erbil and Slemani). Some Assyrians claim Masoud Barzani's KDP is intimidating the population into demanding their region be annexed. This is a controversial issue and the population has different views on the matter as revealed by a Wikileaks document released in 2011:^[8]

“

In a July 3 meeting with PRT and US Army civil affairs personnel, Mayor of Tal Kaif District Basim Bello said Assyrians in Ninewa Province feel intimidated by the Kurds and suffer from a lack of essential services. Bello said the solution lies in the inclusion of all groups in the provincial government. He said civil rights protections for Christians will continue to be a concern whether predominantly Christian areas remain part of Ninewa or join the KRG. He reiterated his party's position that the Christian areas of Ninewa should form an autonomous region under Article 125 of the constitution.

In a separate meeting with Father Dinkha Issa, the Assyrian Christian priest in Al Qosh, Dhinka expressed hope the church could help bring peace to an area that he described as "disputed between two governments" (the Government of Iraq and the KRG). Unlike Basim, Dhinka said there have been no problems with intimidation or interference from political parties or Kurdish security forces. A new orphanage building, funded by ex-KRG Minister of Finance Sarkis Aghajan, was nearly finished.

”

— Ninawa PRT, Ninewa: Diversity of Views From Assyrian Christian Leaders in Alqosh, Wikileaks

References

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