Halabja Memorial Controversy

Halabja residents are planning a mass sit-in to prevent officials attending ceremonies honouring victims of the Kurdish town.



On March 16, Kurdish officials are planning to hold their annual memorial to the thousands of victims of an Iraqi army chemical attack on the town eighteen years ago.



But residents say they are tired of the Kurdish government’s failure to keep its word over pledges to improve conditions here.



They are planning to sit along the main road into the town to stop officials - who will, for the first time, be accompanied by international delegates - from entering Halabja. About 500 protesters are expected to participate.



"Officials visit Halabja just for publicity," said Mohammed Kareem, 61, a local shopkeeper who lost five children in the chemical attack. "Halabja looks the same as the day it was attacked."



"We plan to block any official from entering, because every year they come and make empty promises," said Zakaria Mahmood, a 22-year-old protest organiser.



While Kurdish officials cite Halabja as a symbol of Kurdish suffering under Saddam Hussein, many residents complain that the region’s semi-autonomous government has done little to improve Halabja's infrastructure.



They complain about poor healthcare and roads, as well as houses that remain damaged. About 5,000 people died and 10,000 were injured in the March 1988 attack. Thousands still suffer from respiratory illnesses, cancer and other diseases.



Politicians from the two leading parties in Iraqi Kurdistan, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, have honoured Halabja's victims and promised to help rebuild the town at its annual memorials.



In past years around 100 Kurdish politicians have come from Baghdad and other parts of Iraqi Kurdistan to attend the event. This year they will bring with them representatives from the Italian government and Hiroshima, Japan.



Organisers of the demonstration say participants will sit silently in the street with blank white banners, bearing no slogans. They say the time for using Halabja for slogans of Kurdish oppression is over.



Residents have noticed a rise in the number of Kurdish security forces here since rumours began swirling about the protests. Halabjans are speculating that they were brought in order to prevent the demonstration.



Akram Ahmad, the head of Halabja security, said his men will not try to prevent the protest but will take necessary precautions to stop violence.



Kurdish officials have called on residents to stay away from the action, while Shaho Mohammad, Kurdish government representative in Halabja, said he has tried to negotiate with the organisers to postpone it until after the anniversary.



But he believes they are determined to go ahead on the day of the anniversary.



This is not the first time Halabjans have sought to demonstrate their frustrations at government inaction.

Last month, residents poured into the streets, demanding better municipal services.



"It has been eighteen years," said Kawsar Hameed Ali, a 46-year-old resident who still suffers from respiratory and skin problems. "I'm suffering from diseases and the government hasn't helped me, so how can we let them visit us?"



Amanj Khalil is an IWPR trainee journalist in Sulaimaniyah. Fazil Najeeb, an IWPR trainee in Sulaimaniyah, contributed to this report.