Since taking office last autumn, Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’ Al-Sudani has focused on revamping deprived neighborhoods and addressing housing security among his key priorities. In this vein, the federal cabinet in Nov. 2022 granted those who live in illegally built dwellings on state-owned land the right to apply for ownership of their homes. The decision was applied nationwide with the exception of the Kurdistan region.

Though welcomed by some, the decision has raised concerns in Kirkuk due to the governorate’s complex demographic and ethnic makeup. The area is notably shared between Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens, and other communities.

Surge in properties built on public land

Following the fall of the Ba’ath Party regime in 2003, thousands of homes were built on public land across Iraq. This includes oil-rich Kirkuk, which ranks third after Baghdad and Basra in terms of governorates with the most...