UNAMI chief urges end to attacks on Iraq, Kurdistan energy facilities, calls for accountability

Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Mohamed Al Hassan expressed “deep concern” over repeated attacks on Iraq’s energy facilities, including the recent assault on the Kurdistan Region’s Khor Mor gas field, urging that such attacks "stop” and those responsible be brought to justice.

Delivering his final briefing at a UN Security Council meeting in New York on Tuesday, the UNAMI chief said he is "deeply concerned about attacks on Iraqi facilities and infrastructure, including the most recent one that took place against oil and gas facilities in the Kurdistan Region.”

“This has to stop and those responsible must be brought to justice,” he emphasized.

An attack targeted a storage tank at the Khor Mor field in Chamchamal district, located in the Region’s eastern Sulaimani province, mid last week, sparking a fire that burned for hours and causing power outages across the Kurdistan Region for more than three days.

No group has claimed responsibility, but Kurdish officials condemned the incident as a “terrorist attack.” The Khor Mor field has been repeatedly targeted in recent years, with Kurdish authorities often blaming Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups that operate beyond Baghdad’s control.

The attack specifically impacted the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) flagship Runaki project - ‘light’ in Kurdish - which provides round-the-clock electricity to around six million people across the Region. Kurdish officials reported that 80 percent of that power was lost for several days. Iraq also lost around 1,200 megawatts of power exported from the KRG due to the suspension of gas supplies from the Khor Mor field.

Gas production returned to normal on Sunday easing the outages and bringing power back to millions of residents across the Region.

Government formation in Baghdad, Erbil

Beyond the Khor Mor incident, the UNAMI Chief underscored the need for timely government formation at both the federal and regional levels. He praised Iraq for holding its sixth parliamentary election in early November but hoped "fervently" that a new government would be formed “without delay.”

Iraq held its early legislative elections on November 9, followed by the general vote two days later. The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced the final results in mid-November.

The Reconstruction and Development Coalition (RDC), led by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, emerged as the frontrunner with 46 seats in the 329-member parliament, while the Kurdistan Region’s ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) received the highest total votes for a single party, garnering more than 1.1 million votes and winning 27 seats.

Since then, negotiations have been underway among political parties to form the next cabinet.

Hassan praised the “notable increase in turnout of registered voters - 56 percent,” in the November ballot, describing the voting process as “one of the most free, orderly, and credible elections to be conducted in Iraq so far.”

He further congratulated the voters and institutions involved, including the IHEC and UNAMI, noting “the scenes witnessed by myself and my team at polling stations across the country, as Iraqis from diverse backgrounds lined up in orderly queues, eager to cast their ballots.”

In the Kurdistan Region, long-delayed parliamentary elections were held in October 2024. The KDP emerged as the frontrunner, securing 39 of the 100 seats in the legislature, followed by the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) with 23 seats.

As no party secured a majority, the two ruling parties, KDP and PUK, have been engaged in government-formation talks for months. However, forming the next KRG cabinet has stalled, largely due to disputes over governance mechanisms and key positions.

“I would be remiss not to note that the formation of a new Kurdistan Regional Government remains pending after over a year of protracted negotiations,” Hassan said.

The UNAMI chief emphasized that government formation at both the federal and regional levels presents a key opportunity to strengthen Erbil-Baghdad relations and resolve outstanding issues between them.

“The Baghdad-Erbil relationship is a crucial partnership that requires cooperation and a more open dialogue on the basis of the Iraqi Constitution [of 2005],” he stressed.

Displaced persons

In his final address as UNAMI chief at the UNSC, Hassan highlighted the ongoing humanitarian challenges facing internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Iraq.

“With about one million Iraqis remaining internally displaced - and that is a big number - their full voluntary return and reintegration is still beset by economic, social, security, and administrative challenges,” he lamented.

Hassan further highlighted the plight of the Yazidi population in Shingal (Sinjar), noting, “Among them are over 100,000 predominantly Yazidis from Sinjar who, after 11 years, still live in displacement camps under precarious conditions - survivors who have endured untold suffering at the hands of [the Islamic State] Daesh.”

In June 2014, ISIS seized large parts of northern and western Iraq. By August, the group launched a brutal campaign against the Yazidi community in Shingal, killing an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 Yazidi men and older women, and abducting 6,000 to 7,000 women and girls for sexual slavery and human trafficking.

The United Nations officially recognized the campaign against the Yazidis as a genocide.

During the June 2014 attack, around 400,000 Yazidis were also forced to flee, with most seeking refuge in the Kurdistan Region. Although Iraq declared full liberation from ISIS in 2017, approximately 21,000 Yazidi families remain displaced, mainly in camps in the Region’s northern Duhok province. Their return is chiefly hindered by ongoing security concerns and the presence of various armed groups in Shingal.

The top UN official urged “the adoption of a comprehensive national plan to ensure the implementation of durable solutions” to accelerate the return of the Yazidis.

Hassan also lauded Iraq’s push to repatriate all nationals from northeast Syria's (Rojava) al-Hol camp by year end, noting that while progress has been significant, challenges remain.

“To date, approximately 20,800 people have returned to Iraq - no small feat by any measure. As returns continue - last one taking place just yesterday - it remains essential for adequate resources to be directed towards ensuring dignified and sustainable reintegration, including reliable access to basic services, livelihoods, and community-level support,” he said.

Hassan concluded by expressing confidence in “the resilience of the Iraqi people and the determination of their leaders,” urging them to continue building trust and cooperation both domestically and with neighboring countries.

Established by the UNSC in 2003, the UNAMI mission is set to conclude on December 31, following a May request from Prime Minister Sudani.

“UNAMI’s departure does not mark the end of the Iraq-UN partnership; rather, it represents the beginning of a new chapter, rooted in Iraq’s leadership of its own future,” Hassan affirmed.

[Source: Rudaw English]