Sudani honors Anfal victims, denounces Baathist crimes

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani marked the 37th anniversary of the Anfal campaigns with a message of mourning and unity, denouncing the atrocities committed by Saddam Hussein’s regime while highlighting the country’s progress toward peace and reconstruction.

In a statement released Sunday, Sudani described the Anfal massacres as a revelation of the “ugliness and racist nature” of the former regime. “With pain and solemn remembrance, Iraqis recall the heinous crime committed by the dictatorial regime during the infamous ‘Anfal Campaigns,’ and the brutal massacres carried out against our Kurdish people thirty-seven years ago,” he said.

Today marks the 37th anniversary of the Anfal campaigns, a series of genocidal operations carried out by Saddam Hussein’s regime in the late 1980s targeting the Kurdish population in Iraq. Tens of thousands of civilians were arrested, executed, and buried in mass graves, while entire villages were destroyed. The anniversary serves as a day of mourning and remembrance for the victims and a call for justice and recognition of one of the most brutal chapters in Iraq’s modern history.

Full statement by Al-Sudani:

With pain and solemn remembrance, Iraqis recall the heinous crime committed by the dictatorial regime during the infamous “Anfal Campaigns,” and the brutal massacres carried out against our Kurdish people thirty-seven years ago. These atrocities exposed the regime’s ugliness and racist nature toward our people and national forces.

Today, the values of brotherhood and peaceful coexistence triumph over all the seeds of hatred that the Ba’athist Saddam regime tried to sow among the diverse segments of our people. Tyranny has been consigned to the darkness of history, while Iraqis continue—together—the journey of reconstruction and development, upholding the dignity of a united, secure, and stable Iraq.

Mercy and forgiveness to the martyrs of Anfal and all the martyrs of Iraq.