MESOP : THE KURDISH STAR IS GOING DOWN – Situation in Kurdistan Region similar to civil war period: Gareth Stanfield

A university professor in Exeter University believes the situation in Kurdistan Region is as dire as the situation during Kurdish civil war during 1990s.

Crisis has stricken the autonomous region in the north of Iraq as the region has been the scene of demonstrations in the past days and a number of protesters have been killed in protests against corruption and the presidency of the region. Kurdistan Region’s President Massoud Barzani’s prolonged term ended in August 20. Opposition parties believe Barzani cannot run for another term but his KDP party reiterates that he can remain president for another term.

In the latest development in the region Parliament speaker, Yusuf Muhammad, a member of Gorran (Change Movement) was not allowed to go to Erbil, the capital, to attend in a parliament meeting and Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, a leading member of the KDP, sacked four ministers from his cabinet. The ministers were member of Gorran. Professor Gareth Stanfield told Washington Post that political tension in the region is as worse as those during 1994 and 1995 which led to civil war, adding that the parties in the region has blocked all ways to solve the crisis and there is no way out of that. He further reiterated that crisis in the region will affect negatively on fight against the Islamic State (IS). The professor warned that there is a lack of cooperation in the anti-IS front and the jihadist group is seeking an opportunity to hurt Kurds.