2023: A year in the headlines from the Middle East
For the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, 2023 was another tumultuous year defined by tense relations between Baghdad and Erbil, with the word unconstitutional likely being one of the most used in our articles. The Region suffered one of its harshest blows yet in March when a Paris arbitration court ruled in Baghdad’s favor, leading to a halt in Erbil’s independent oil exports which have yet to resume.
Here are the editorial choices of the main news stories of 2023:
Iraq wins Gulf Cup
Massive celebrations took place across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, with tens of thousands of people gathering in the streets to celebrate.
Over 55,000 killed in 7.8 magnitude quake in Turkey and Syria
On February 6, two double tremors struck cities near the Turkish-Syrian border, killing over 55,000 people and injuring a further 100,000. According to the Red Cross, 17 million people were affected by the earthquake and remain in need of assistance.
The quake hit areas of northern Syria that had already endured over a decade of constant bombardment by the Syrian regime and its Russian ally. The rescue efforts were slowed down by infrastructure worn down by conflict but placed the relentless work of the White Helmets in the spotlight once again. International aid and assistance was unable to pour in the same way it did in Turkey because of sanctions on Bashar al-Assad’s regime, pushing neighboring countries to rethink their Syria policies.
In Turkey, rescue efforts were also slow despite the absence of war, sparking criticism of the country’s response system and the government’s handling of the disaster.
China-brokered deal sees Iran and Saudi Arabia restore ties
On March 10, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore ties that were severed seven years ago. Both countries have since resumed diplomatic relations, opening both embassies and consulates. The negotiations were brokered by China, marking a crucial step in Beijing’s consolidation as a major power in Middle East affairs, likely seeking to compete with long-standing US influence in the region.
Riyadh and Tehran have supported opposing forces in several conflict zones across the region, most notably in Yemen where Iran backs the Houthi rebels while Saudi Arabia leads a military coalition supporting the government.
The US has been pushing for a normalization of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia as part of the Abraham Accords signed in 2020. Until recently, quiet talks between the two countries were said to have taken place behind the scenes but the war in Gaza has taken the deal off the table.
Iraq halts Kurdistan Region oil exports
Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the Ceyhan pipeline to Turkey were halted on March 25 when a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, saying a 1973 agreement had been breached by allowing Erbil to begin independent oil exports in 2014. Turkey was ordered to pay $1.5 billion in damages to Baghdad.
On April 1, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani reached a deal in what at the time seemed a quick solution to the issue of the exports. Since then, numerous discussions have taken place between Erbil, Baghdad, and the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) - an umbrella group that includes a number of international oil companies operating in the Region.
The halt in exports dealt a significant blow to an oil-reliant Kurdistan Region and according to officials, both Baghdad and Erbil have lost around five billion dollars since the halt was imposed. In addition to this, the Iraqi federal budget passed this year also obliges Erbil to hand over at least 400,000 barrels of crude oil to Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) daily to export to Turkey. Despite both Baghdad and Ankara expressing their readiness to restart the exports, oil flow has yet to resume as people working in the oil sector anxiously wait with their jobs on the line.
Turkey closes airspace to Sulaimani flights
Turkey banned flights in and out of Sulaimani from passing through its airspace on April 3, causing travelers to opt for different routes or to fly from Erbil. The ban was initially set for July and was then extended until January 3 next year, but last week a further extension until June 22, 2024 was announced.
Then-foreign ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgic said the ban was imposed in response to what he called an “intensification” of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) activities in Sulaimani province after two helicopters bound for Sulaimani and carrying members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) crashed. Nine SDF members were killed in the crash.
A few days later on April 7, a drone strike targeted a convoy carrying US personnel and SDF general commander Mazloum Abdi in the vicinity of the airport. Abdi blamed Turkey for the strike while Ankara denied responsibility.
Arab League normalizes ties with Syria
For the first time in 12 years, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad attended an Arab League summit in Riyadh on May 12. Arab states voted to reinstate Syria’s membership after suspending it in March 2011 following the regime’s crackdown on protests which marked the start of civil war in the country. Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia in particular, supported the rebels fighting against Assad’s government.
The earthquake in February turned the tide, sparking a Saudi-led effort to normalize ties with Assad. The US has repeatedly expressed its opposition to welcoming back Assad to the Arab fold. The thaw in relations remains controversial but most of Syria’s neighbors are keen to see a resolution to the conflict and a return of the refugees most of them host.
Iraq’s top court rules Kurdistan parliament extension ‘unconstitutional’
The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court ruled on May 30 against the self-extension of the Kurdistan Region’s parliament by another year as ‘unconstitutional’ after a case was filed by the New Generation Movement (NGM).
The decision came amid an ongoing row between Baghdad and Erbil over oil exports and the federal budget bill which had not been passed at the time. In February 2022, the same court ruled the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) oil and gas law from 2007 as “unconstitutional.” This prompted a reaction from prime minister Barzani, criticizing the decision for coming from an “unconstitutional” court.
The top court then ruled two articles in the federal budget that were related to the Kurdistan Region as “unconstitutional” in August. Again in September, the federal court dissolved the Region’s provincial council on the basis that their extension was “unconstitutional.”
The Kurdistan Region failed to hold parliamentary elections on time following disagreements between Kurdish parties over the electoral law. The Region’s parliament voted in October 2022 to extend the legislature’s term for one year to allow for more time to prepare for elections. The vote was then set to take place in November this year but was pushed to February 2024.
Iraq cuts ties with Sweden over Quran burning
Iraq expelled the Swedish ambassador and cut ties with the Scandinavian country on July 20 after several Quran burning incidents in Stockholm. Tension between Baghdad and Stockholm peaked after protesters linked to influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stormed and set fire to the Swedish embassy in the Iraqi capital in condemnation of the incidents. Sudani had warned Sweden that diplomatic relations would be severed if Swedish authorities allowed another Quran burning protest.
Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee, set fire to the Quran several times in Stockholm after receiving permission from Swedish authorities. The desecration of Islam’s holy book caused widespread anger across the Muslim world, especially in Momika’s country of origin.
Anti-regime protests begin in Syria’s Suwayda
A new wave of anti-regime protests erupted in southern Syria on August 17, with protesters demanding an improvement of the poor economic conditions and an end to the violence in the country. Protests and strikes were organized in Suwayda - a predominantly Druze area - with protesters chanting anti-Assad slogans. The protests continued into September and spread to areas in the south where Assad had traditionally enjoyed widespread support.
The protests demonstrate that the desire for change remains among the Syrian people.
Protests in Kirkuk take a violent turn over KDP return
Four people were killed and several others were injured when chaos descended on the streets of the multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk. Arab and Turkmen demonstrators staged a sit-in near the headquarters of the Iraqi military’s Joint Operations Command (JOC), in what used to be the office of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), after Sudani reportedly ordered Iraqi forces to evacuate and allow the KDP to return.
Dozens of protesters, mainly members of the Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia and their supporters, set up tents in protest of the KDP’s return. Kurdish residents soon gathered to counter protest, expressing support for the party’s return to its offices. Clashes ensued, with Iraqi security forces and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) firing live bullets at the Kurdish demonstrators.
One of the dead was identified as a Kurdish civilian, Hawkar Abdullah, who spoke to Rudaw earlier in the day before he was shot dead. “Kirkuk is a Kurdistani city that also contains Turkmen and Arabs,” he said.
WATCH HERE: What happened in Kirkuk?
Iran and US reach prisoner exchange deal
On September 18, Washington and Tehran reached a deal to swap five prisoners held in Iran for five Iranian prisoners in the US. The deal also saw the unfreezing of $6 billion of Iranian funds frozen in South Korea which were moved to restricted accounts in Qatar.
The detained US citizens to be returned home as part of the deal include Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, and Emad Shargi, as well as two others who chose to have their identities concealed. The three revealed prisoners have been imprisoned for at least five years while Namazi has been held since 2015.
The prisoner deal has been a major point of contention in US-Iran talks, particularly since Washington under former president Donald Trump’s administration withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018 and imposed biting sanctions on Tehran.
Over a hundred people lost their lives when the ceiling of a wedding hall in Nineveh’s Hamdaniya caught fire, turning what was supposed to be a joyous occasion into a tragedy. The fire scarred the Christian-populated district.
The highly-flammable plastic ceiling was ignited when fireworks were sparked from the floor, re-opening the discussion on the lack of health and safety regulations in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
In an exclusive interview with Rudaw English later that week, the groom denied claims by authorities that malfunctioning fireworks caused the inferno.
On October 7, Hamas carried out an attack in southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping 240 people to keep hostage in Gaza. On the same day, Israel declared war on Hamas and launched a campaign of indiscriminate airstrikes which have destroyed most of the besieged Gaza Strip. Over 21,822 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since October 7 and the bloodshed shows no sign of stopping, with the violence expected to continue well into 2024.
On October 27, Israel began its ground invasion in an attempt to destroy Hamas tunnels and infrastructure. Most of Gaza’s population has been internally displaced to the south of the strip, with scarce access to fuel, food, water, and medicine, while hospitals have been put out of service by bombings. The few functioning hospitals are overwhelmed and suffer from severe shortages of medical supplies.
After weeks of negotiations and failed resolutions to call for a ceasefire at the United Nations, a short deal was struck in order to allow for an exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The ceasefire lasted from November 24 to December 1.
The war in Gaza sparked concerns of a regional escalation as clashes and attacks have taken place along the volatile Israeli-Lebanese border. The Houthis have also launched missiles and drone attacks from Yemen to Israel, as well as seizing Israeli-flagged ships, disrupting maritime trade in the Red Sea.
On October 17, a spate of rocket and drone attacks began targeting US bases in Iraq and Syria. An Iran-backed group calling itself the Islamic Resistance of Iraq claimed responsibility for the majority of the attacks over the US’ unwavering support for Israel in its war in Gaza. Washington has struck back several times and has called on the Iraqi government to take measures to curb the attacks.
Iraqi parliament speaker ousted
Iraq’s top court on November 14 ousted powerful Sunni politician Mohammed al-Halbousi, terminating his parliamentary membership and ending his role as speaker.
The Iraqi Federal Supreme court on Tuesday ruled to revoke Halbousi’s parliamentary membership and end his tenure as speaker of parliament after he was accused of forging a resignation paper, which led his influential Sunni Taqadum party to withdraw from the legislature and three ministers to resign.
Iraq held first provincial council elections in a decade
Local elections were held in Iraq’s 15 provinces, excluding the Kurdistan Region, on 18 December, for the first time since 2013. The overall voter turnout reached 41 percent, higher than the parliamentary elections in 2021 despite the boycott by influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Kirkuk province recorded the highest turnout across all the provinces with 66 percent of eligible voters, numbering over 566,000, casting ballots. . This was the first time Kirkuk held provincial elections since 2005.
The Arab Alliance, Uruba Alliance, and Qiyada Alliance won a combined six seats, giving Arabs the second-highest number of seats after the Kurds, who obtained seven spots on the 16-seat council. The Arab bloc is expected to form an alliance with the two winners from the Turkmen parties, forming a strong eight-seat opposition to the Kurds’ ambition to return a Kurdish governor to the province.
The two Kurdish parties have seven seats on the council. The winner of the minority quota, Injeel al-Barwari, is reportedly linked to the PUK, which could mean the council is evenly split if the Kurdish parties can work together, but that is uncertain as they are feuding over economic and governance issues in the Kurdistan Region and have not yet announced any cooperation in Kirkuk.