READOUT OF RECENT PROTESTS IN KURDISTAN SULAYMANIYAH REGION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KIRKUK 000141

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

BAGHDAD FOR POL, POLMIL, NCT, IRMO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/20/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PINS PNAT IZ KDEM
SUBJECT: READOUT OF RECENT PROTESTS IN KURDISTAN SULAYMANIYAH REGION

KIRKUK 00000141 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Jim Bigus, PRT Leader, POL, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



CLASSIFIED BY: Jim Bigus, PRT Leader, POL, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (C) INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY: Several participants and
organizers of the recent protests in the Chamchamal
sub-districts of Sulaymaniyah Province said on August 17 poor
services in the water, electricity, and fuel sectors had
prompted growing calls for government reform in the Kurdistan
region. Previous appeals for improvement of services and
government reform had yielded no results and they predicted
future protests would be even more violent and widespread. The
recent protests were different because local police and
Peshmerga were among the participants arrested by Asayish
security forces. The attending representatives claimed the
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Sulaymaniyah had
defaulted on projects that would have resolved regional water
and electricity shortages. They cited the Chamchamal-Goptapa
Water Project and the Chamchamal Electricity Station as two
examples and claimed tangible progress on these projects could
prevent future protests. Chamachamal was being ignored they
claimed because Baghdad considered it part of the KRG, while the
KRG treated it as part of Kirkuk and thus under federal control.
END INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY.

(C) ARRESTED PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED PESHMERGA AND POLICE
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2. (C) Participants and organizers of recent protests in the
Chamchamal sub-district of Sulaymaniyah told IPAO on August 17
that ongoing poor services in the water, electricity, and fuel
sectors, as well as unemployment concerned, had led to recent
violent protests in the Kurdistan region. The representatives
claimed the government did not respond to peaceful
demonstrations and to a previous memo demanding an improvement
of services. They claimed that, of the approximately 2000
protestors, local Peshmerga and 28 police were among those
arrested by Asayish security forces, which marked a new
development in relations between the Kurdish public and their
government. They said eight government workers also
participated in the protests. (Note: The representatives
presented post with a list of 17 remaining detained protestors,
which included one police officer and five Peshmerga. The other
detainees were listed as students and local workers. End note.)

(C) LAST ELECTIONS "NOT CLEAN"
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3. (C) The attending representatives said that political
corruption was another root cause of the protests. They said
the last elections "were not clean" and that the party appointed
technocrats who did not bother to get out into the people to
understand their concerns. The attendees claimed the parties
controlled all the press and this was the reason the protests
were reported as against poor municipal services alone, without
reference to political reform. They said contrary to press,
lack of inclusiveness in government was a primary cause and that
after the protests turned violent, electricity increased to 12
hours per day from the previous 3 hours the general public
usually received. (Note: Post has received several reports
that it is routine for KRG officials, their families, and
associates to receive 24-hour electricity service, but that
there has been talk recently of ending or limiting this perk.
End note.) They also claimed that an order was received from
the PUK government to retire anyone over 68 years of age, but
that nothing had been done because no one wants to retire and
because senior salaries averaged 500 USD per month compared with
100 to 150 USD per month for newly hired employees.

(C) TWO FAILED PROJECTS CITED AS KEY FACTORS
-------------- -


4. (C) The participants said the KRG promises to improve
services had gone unfulfilled. The attendees cited the
Chamchamal Electricity Station and the Chamchamal-Goptapa Water
Project as two halted projects originally started by NGOs from
the U.S. that were designed to alleviate water and electricity
services on a large scale. The participants claimed future
protests in the area could be prevented if the KRG demonstrated
tangible progress on these two projects. (Note: Post has
received reports that residents of Sulaymaniyah in the city
itself were digging private wells due to poor water services.
End note.)


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(C) CHAMCHAMAL - PART OF SULAYMANIYAH OR KIRKUK?
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5. (C) The representatives claimed one of the main political
problems was that the central government did not control
Chamchaml because Baghdad considered it part of the KRG, while
the KRG ignored the area because it considered Chamchamal part
of Kirkuk Province. In addition, they claimed encouraging the
rule of law in Chamchamal and limiting PUK influence, where it
currently dominated local government, would help the situation.

(C) BACKGROUND ON CHAMCHAMAL-GOPTAPA WATER PROJECT
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6. (C) A private NGO source told IPAO on August 18 that
several projects being funded by U.S. and British NGOs were
halted due to excessive overhead costs, including the
Chamchamal-Goptapa water project and one planned to service
Halabja. At a separate meeting on the new Kurdistan "Investment
Law" post learned Kurdish investors themselves were concerned
that sub-contracting, and sub-sub-contracting based on
connections often dried up investment monies before ground was
ever broken on new projects. According to one account, the KRG
took responsibility from NGOs for building the
Chamchamal-Goptapa water project after it was halted. For all
contractors bidding for this project, post learned, there were
no design drawings, and no clarifications on power supply issues
or massive standby generators. The result was that bidding
varied widely and the contract was never awarded.


(U) COMMENT
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9. (C) Although it appears water services are poor throughout
Sulaymaniyah Province, ignoring the Chamchamal sub-district in
particular could be a deliberate attempt on the part of the KRG
to force the central government to address the issue of
re-attaching Chamchamal to Kirkuk Province, a long-standing
Kurdish demand, and as a way of pushing the Article 140 timeline
forward.
JBIGUS