Assyrian leader warns of land grabs by armed groups in Nineveh Plain Region
The leader of the ADM has spoken out against attempts to change the demographics of the Nineveh Plain Region.
The Secretary General of the Assyrian Democratic Movement, Yacoob Gorgis, has spoken out against land grabs in the Nineveh Plain Region, pointing the finger at “parties backed by armed groups,” according to the official website of the movement.
“There are parties backed by armed groups that are working relentlessly to destabilize civil peace in the Nineveh Plain. From time to time, we witness attempts at demographic change in the areas of our people,” he wrote in a post on his personal Facebook page, later published on the movement’s website on 22 September.
While the ADM Secretary General does not name any particular group, observers believe he is referring to Shia groups tied to Rayan al-Kaldani, who have seized military control over the Nineveh Plain Region, as well as the Shabak minority, who are also Shia.
“The pretext of granting land plots for construction in the so-called ‘place of origin’ is nothing but a false claim without any real basis. We will not allow the armed groups, nor those empowered by them, to seize what little remains of our people’s land after it was stolen and occupied during previous stages and past periods.”
“We have long demanded and worked diligently for the establishment of new administrative units and municipal departments in parts of the Nineveh Plain, so that members of other communities could obtain land plots for housing in their own areas. Yet they have consistently refused this and continue to await opportunities to encroach upon the lands of Baghdeda, Bartella, Karamlesh, Alqosh, Tel Kaif, and other areas belonging to our people,” he concluded.
The broader context
This latest public criticism by the ADM’s leadership mirrors the one it issued recently against the KRG leadership. While the criticism is fully justified and factually correct in both cases, it appears to be more connected to the ADM’s election strategy than to genuine efforts to confront the groups encroaching on Assyrian lands.
The Assyria Post
The fast-approaching national elections this November are crucial for the ADM as it seeks to regain its position after losing its seats to candidates backed by Arab and Kurdish groups and political parties. The quota seats for Assyrians have been illegally appropriated by non-Assyrian groups through proxy voting. Assyrian demands to reform the election system to ensure that only Assyrians can vote for candidates vying for quota seats have so far fallen on deaf ears.
This statement, along with the one issued this summer addressing the KRG, should therefore be seen as part of the ADM’s attempt to gain attention and strengthen its position ahead of the elections.
